Johnny Miller Returns
Broadcaster Johnny Miller will return to the fairways and greens in next week’s Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf tournament. It will be his first competitive round since 1997.
For those who know Miller only as an acerbic broadcaster, a little background is in order:
For a short period of time in the early through mid 1970s, Johnny Miller was as good a golfer as any who has played. He won the 1973 US Open at Oakmont, where he came storming back from 12th place with a final round 63. That’s an incredible feat at any US Open, but especially so at Oakmont.
He was the leading money winner on the Tour in 1974, winning eight tournaments. In 1975, he finished second to Nicklaus at the Masters, and third at the British Open. In 1976, he won the British Open for his second Major.
Following that, however, his brilliant play tailed off, and he was not nearly as successful. Miller finished his career with 25 PGA Tour wins, played on two Ryder Cup teams and was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1996.
It’ll be good to see him play again.
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Comments
Sad state of affairs in current golf when one realizes that a player of Johnny’s credentials requires introductions to today’s Tiger fans, those who clutter up the fairways and airwaves with single-topic focus.
For those of us who see the game as bigger then any player, it is a wake-up call. I hope someday, when these Tiger fans lose interest and move on to the next big thing, we can see the game itself return to the spotlight.
Posted by Wayne on 04/15
Well said, Wayne
Posted by The Golf Blogger on 04/15
Response to Wayne:
I won’t claim that everyone knows or even wants to know about Johnny Miller and his golf accolades, but to think that we’re not constantly reminded (by him, over and over and over, every weekend) that he played golf, was on Ryder Cup teams, and won majors.......
JM gets more airtime then Tiger!
Posted by augusto on 04/16
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