Exclusive Q&A with David Feherty, Part 2
Behold, part 2 of my interview with commentator and Golf Magazine columnist David Feherty. He took a few minutes before suiting up for CBS’s final round of the PGA Championship to talk about Tiger, Jack and the mighty wind that rocked the Buick Open.
Connell Barrett: David, today Tiger Woods [-8] takes a 2-stroke lead into the final round of the PGA Championship. Tiger has a perfect 14-for-14 record as a 54-hole leader in majors. You were also perfect as a major closer—zero for zero. Very Tiger-like.
David Feherty: Thanks for reminding me. Is there a question in there, Cornhole?
CB: If Tiger ends the day 14 for 15, who’s holding the Wanamaker Trophy?
DF: Well, Harrington [-6] doesn’t blink. He has guts like no other European. You can never bet against Tiger, especially the way he’s been playing, but Harrington is comfortable in the moment. He could certainly win.
CB: Earlier this week, I asked Tiger who would win if he played his Year 2000 self in match-play. He didn’t blink. He said Tiger 2009 is clearly superior. "I can manage my way around the golf course much better," he said. Tiger, better than ever? That's a frightening thought for the rest of the Tour. Has he raised the bar from 2000, when he won three majors and the U.S. Open by 15 strokes?
DF: I think so. He may be entering his true prime, and what a terrifying thought. He’s 33 years old. He’s won 70 times. Traditionally, a golfer is peaking at his age. When I look at his swing now and then, it’s better. More efficient. Tiger used to unleash this earthquake on the rest of his body, he swung with such violence. He had to get out of his own way. He looked like he’d tear his sack, he went after it so hard. Now? On Friday, he hit one so hard on the 15 tee--he absolutely smoked it--and on his follow-through, there's nothing moving except his eyelashes. I don't think we've seen the best of him yet.
CB: Does Tiger still intimidate the other top players?
DF: We tend to say people are intimidated by Tiger, but they’re intimidated by what he does, not by him. On CBS, we show Tiger’s reaction to his shots, but we should show the other players' reactions to Tiger’s shots. That’s the money shot. They think, "To beat this guy, I have to do that? I can’t." As a result, they try shots they’re not capable of, and the gap [between Tiger and the field] gets wider. That gap would shrink if they played to their own ability and forgot what Tiger was doing. I’ve spoken to Jack about this, and his biggest criticism of today’s players is their decision-making. He says, "Play your own game, not Tiger's game."
CB: History tells us that Tiger will win his 15th major today, leaving him three victories short of Jack’s record of 18 majors. Tiger is 33. Jack was 38 when he won his 15th, the 1978 British. Who’s greater?
DF: It’s impossible to judge people from different eras. There’s an evolution of the species here. Larry Bird’s Celtics would be destroyed by today’s Celtics. Same in golf. Players are better today than 20, 30 years ago. Look at strength, fitness, courses, where they put the flags. They’re putting flags in places that would make players from Jack's day soil their Sansabelts! So it’s tough comparing the two. But I feel that until Tiger gets to 19, I’m sorry, Jack is the greatest player who ever lived because of his record. Tiger doesn’t have the record yet. And Tiger has said the same thing.
CB: Help us put a mystery to rest. There was a disturbance of sorts in the fairway on the 72nd hole at the Buick Open. The wind picked up, unexpectedly. Let’s go to the videotape!
CB: Clear the air. For the record, who done it?
DF: You know, it’s really difficult to say. But it was one of the most intelligent things ever said during a golf broadcast, that's for certain.
CB: Let’s use the process of elimination. Was it Tiger?
DF: No.
CB: Stevie?
DF: I can confirm that it was not Tiger Woods, and it was no one in the Tiger Woods camp. But I’ve said enough. You could say that I’ve made enough ... noise on the subject already.
Photo: Richard Heathcote/Getty Images
