Some PGA Tour Players Want Kelly Tilghman Fired

by Mulligan Stu on May 7, 2008 2:25 PM EDT in News

Well, not fired really, but kicked out of her anchor chair and sent back to the studio.

Another notebook nugget, this time from Andrew Both of SportsTicker:

Several players told Finchem that they do not think she does a very good job, and asked the commissioner whether there was anything he could do about it.

Finchem, a skilled lawyer/politician, diplomatically told the players that while he consults with the network regularly, he does not have any direct say in whom it uses on the air.

He pointed out that Tilghman is always co-operative with the tour, happy to read its promotional blurbs, and that Thursday-Friday ratings on The Golf Channel are higher than they used to be on ESPN.

The players who voiced their opinions were not necessarily upset with anything specific that Tilghman has said in her 16 months in the job, including the famous remark in January that players wanting to beat Tiger Woods should "lynch him in a back alley."

Rather, they seem to think that she does not have the gravitas or broadcasting expertise to elevate a telecast in the way that Jim Nantz, for example, does on CBS.

Great - they want an anchor more like Nantz. No surprise, given that Nantz's broadcasting style is to make people think golf - and by extension, golfers - is as important breathing. Nantz calls golf as if he were calling the Birth of Democracy.

Jay Busbee, on the Yahoo Golf Blog, writes:

The players' complaint wasn't with anything specific Tilghman said-including a certain comment from earlier this year vis-à-vis Tiger Woods and Southern justice-but with her perceived inability to manufacture drama out of thin air, as any good golf announcer should be able to do on a moment's notice.

Finchem pointed out that the PGA Tour doesn't actually control the Golf Channel, but simply the fact that this story leaked out of the players' meetings means there'll likely be action. Expect Kelly to start talking in a much lower register and using words like "majestic" to describe routine chip shots.

I'm not a fan of Tilghman's work in the anchor's chair. But I don't want her (or anyone else) to be more like Nantz.If she were more like Dan Hicks, though, that'd be just fine.

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Comments

Does ANYBODY like Tilghman's work ?

Sure doesn't seem like it. I know I'm not a fan, even though I stood up for her during that ridiculous "scandal" earlier this year.

If there was ever a question about the lawyerly persona and political "skills" of Tim Finchem - those evasions...errr...answers should pretty much convince everyone. He gave two answers that had nothing to do with the question.

"We don't have anything to do with who is on air." Strike one. If the Tour had a serious complaint about a broadcaster, you can bet they would have something done about it. Tilghman isn't defaming the tour - she's just terrible at the job she's gotten.

"She's always cooperative with the tour..." Blah Blah Blah. What does that have to do with her poor quality of work in the booth ? Strike Two.

And in true politician style - he stopped before he swung and missed for strike three.

I DID find it humorous that players would toss out words like "gravitas" and "broadcasting expertise". Umm - these are professional golfers. Gravitas is a word used by broadcasters on TV and radio to make themselves sound intellectual.

Here's something - Jim Nantz doesn't have "gravitas" - he's just been doing a pretty good job for a long time. He doesn't draw people to him - people don't tune in to CBS to listen to his cure for insomnia. What he does have is a smooth delivery from one expert to another, and an occassional interesting story about Fred Couples back at the University of Houston.

If anybody lives around Jay Busbee - please smack him across the back of the head and explain that lynching isn't "southern" justice. (idiot) Try renting "Hang 'Em High" for a little Clint entertainment...and a wild west lynching...yes...Clint is still white. And the KKK wasn't just southern - for a while, the largest chapter of the Klan was in New Jersey and it was spread across most states in the lower 48.

"The Birth of Democracy" ? Greece ? (the good ol' US of A isn't a democracy - the founding fathers were very clear that this was NOT to be a democracy.) Anecdotal definition of "democracy" - two wolves and a sheep deciding on what's for dinner.

"this ball will fit in that fairway"

by courtgolf on May 7, 2008 4:18 PM EDT 0 recs

Kelly Tilghman Fans

My husband and I BOTH like Kelly Tilghman, her banter w/Faldo, her interviews, etc. The fact is, there are some players that want Johnny Miller fired, too. Get a life.

loriab

by loriab on May 9, 2008 8:16 AM EDT 0 recs

ok

so the players are 2 for 2... :-D

it's nice that we have unearthed the Tilghman fans.

"this ball will fit in that fairway"

by courtgolf on May 9, 2008 8:47 AM EDT up 0 recs

Nantz is awful ...

just, just awful. I know that the players should have a bit of a say in this - but we're the schlubs who have to put up with Nantz's moronic pseudo-poetry. Tilghman's style is much more to my liking.

'Gravitas', W - T - F???????????????? Who the hell uses a word like that and isn't joking? Reminds me of this Colbert clip:

http://www.comedycentral.com/videos/index.jhtml?videoId=24040

You know why divorces are so expensive? They're worth it - Willie Nelson

by Shank You very much on May 11, 2008 11:43 AM EDT 0 recs

tune into ESPN radio

Those are the kinds of guys who use words like "gravitas", quite often, and think it makes them sound like they know what they're talking about.

Wait - sucking up to Nick Faldo and trying to one-up other people's stories is a style ?

The host position is not easy - they have the job of playing traffic cop between play-by-play coming in and out, commercial breaks, interviews, etc. - and all with extra voices in your ears - but it does seem like the networks would be able to find a little better talent than what they have.

Mike Tirico was just awful when he started, but he grew into the job pretty well - at least until he started thinking he knew the technical ins and outs of golf - but for the most part, he did a good job.

"this ball will fit in that fairway"

by courtgolf on May 11, 2008 12:24 PM EDT up 0 recs

Agreed ...

do you remember, btw, when Brent Musberger took a whirl hosting for a few tourneys? I think he tried to do a British Open once with ABC and failed miserably, way worse than Tirico is now.

You know why divorces are so expensive? They're worth it - Willie Nelson

by Shank You very much on May 11, 2008 3:56 PM EDT up 0 recs

yep

are you saying that Dustbuster has been good doing other sports ?

These guys who sit around thinking up lines more for the purpose of making themselves memorable are very tiresome. They are premeditated and self-serving, and want to be more of the story than they should ever be.

"this ball will fit in that fairway"

by courtgolf on May 11, 2008 8:55 PM EDT up 0 recs