Golf TV and Web Coverage, What a Mess!

Perhaps it is just me, and I have become hyper-critical of the syrupy coverage of golf lately, but forgive my saying so, but the TV coverage this week has been just plain pathetic.

Just as soon as we almost had our first real social crisis in golf with Bill Murray getting popped for driving drunk in a golf cart in downtown Stockholm, Sweden, I thought maybe golf would now have our own Michael Vick. But Bill didn’t disappoint as he refused to take the breath test referring to American law. Brilliant move Bill. I guess he figured that driving a golf cart ain’t really “driving.” But, I digress…

So, to keep up this weekend, I went to the PGA Tour DOT com website to find it’s new revamped look. Pretty nice graphics and all. But wait, the media player then loaded, and I was treated to an babe named Tyler Johnson, reading the teleprompter. I can’t imagine where they found this girl, but either my media player distorts body sizes, or this girl should be touting Slimfast. Let’s put it this way, she is no Summer Sanders. However, to her credit she did manage to say, “Fedex Cup Playoffs” five times in less than 60 seconds.

Steve Stricker finally pulls off a victory after stumbling in the US Open and the British, this time he puts it away with strong shot making and clutch putts to win his first tournament in over 6 years. A great story. I like the way the commentators kept calling him, “one of the good guys” on Tour. I wonder who the “bad guys” are when they say that? In any event, the guy hadn’t even caught his breath when they stick a microphone in his face, and ask him, “what does this mean?”

Couldn’t the network have let the guy go sign his card, and gather himself first? With tears streaming down his face, he could barely muster an answer. I mean, we love to see grown men cry while taking home a million bucks, but geez louise, give me a break.

The US Amateur coverage was even worse. Not the match play battle, but on the final green. Colt Knost (what a great name) who looks like he could be Jason Gore’s younger brother, wins when his opponent, Mike Thompson concedes his putt after missing his bogey putt for a double bogey on the 17th green. He graciously gives the three foot putt par to Knost. Colt was so taken aback, that he barely had come to recognize he had won. In less than 30 seconds, again, no break to commercial, no recap of the win to let him gather himself, the USGA chief and the ABC commentator bum rush with a microphone and the trophy. They barely gave him time to hug his mother and sister. Here is your trophy kid, what do ya think? Okay, thanks “gotta go.” It was pathetic. The poor guy was so overwhelmed that he knocked the lid off of the trophy.

I can only hope they gave a more dignified presentation to the “live” visitors at Olympic Club. Michael Thompson, I might add was gracious in defeat, and put up a great fight, and conceded like a true gentleman, and took his runner up title with dignity. Too bad the TV boyz couldn’t say the same.