Three decades ago,
Johnny Miller was arguably the biggest star in golf.
The slender Californian wielded his irons like a
rapier, knocking down flagsticks all over the PGA
Tour, shooting in the low 60s with a regularity that
hadn’t been seen previously on Tour. His
amazing final round of 63 at Oakmont to win our
national championship in 1973 still stands on the
lowest final round in major championship history,
and served as a springboard for a torrid stretch of
golf that began the following season. He won
15 of the 25 tournaments on his career resume
between ’74 and’76, including his second major
championship, the 1976 British Open.
The
outspoken Miller has been NBC’s lead golf analyst
for more than a decade. An increasingly shaky
putting stroke has kept him off of the Champions
Tour, so Miller’s most public connection to golf
these days is commentating on network television.
He’s
recently released a book titled “I Call the Shots,”
which is a combination biography, essays on the pro
game, and opinions on the greatest players, courses
and events he’s witnessed. As a player, Miller was
fabulous, though fleeting. As a “talking head”
on TV, he’s perceptive and provocative. As an
author, Johnny Miller is insightful and eloquent.
But unfortunately, he’s sloppier than a three year
old in a mud puddle, and a mistake-ridden text, full
of contradiction, detracts mightily from an
otherwise thoughtful and interesting series of
observations about the game.
How does Miller mangle?
Let us count the ways:
On page 62, he calls Tiger Woods “the best player
the world has ever seen.” But on page 195, he
calls Tom Watson “without question one of the five
greatest players who ever lived, just below
Nicklaus, Hogan, Jones and Nelson.” Gee,
Johnny, we know Tiger’s been “slumping” a bit, but
does he fall that far that fast, within 133 pages?
Page 195 wasn’t particularly kind to Miller in
several ways. He tells us that Tom Watson won
six British Opens. Actually, the number was
five.
On page 27, he tells us he admires Hale Irwin for
winning two U.S. Opens. ”Johnny-not-on-the-spot”
shanks this one also, as Hale won our national
championship three different times. In fact,
Irwin is the only player in history to win exactly
three U.S. Opens.
On page 95, he informs us that Phil Mickelson has
won some 23 million dollars on the golf course.
On page 105, he revises that figure upward to 25
million. We all know Phil’s an incredible earner,
but two million in ten pages? That’s Bill
Gates territory. (For the record:
Mickelson’s career earnings going into 2004 was
almost 23.8 million.)
On Page 115, he reminisces about Ed “The Grip” Fiori
besting Tiger in a playoff at the ‘96 Quad Cities
Classic. Fiori won, but there was no playoff,
and Tiger finished fifth.
Of course, factual screw-ups are a relative thing.
The Fiori error is small beans compared to page 160,
when Johnny mentions the short, colorful career of
former Senior Tour player Robert Landers, the Texas
dirt farmer, who, according to Miller, “spiced up
the Tour with his surprising appearance in 2002.” I
know time goes by faster as you get older, Johnny,
but Landers’ cup of coffee in the big time was in
1995. Let’s call this one “The Seven year Glitch.”
On page 147, Miller tells us “the famous Road Hole
as St. Andrews is the best hole in the world, hands
down.” A mere nine pages later, he claims,
“the 14th hole at Shinnecock Hills may be the best
hole in the world.” Make up your mind, Johnny!
Most egregious and embarrassing is the error on page
257. Miller tells us with understandable
pride, “the 63 I shot at the ‘73 U.S. Open is a
record that’s held up for more than 40 years.”
Well, it was a 63, and it did take place in ‘73.
But a grade-schooler can tell you that the record
has held up for more than 30, not quite 40, years.
What can we say in Johnny’s defense, other than two
out of three ain’t bad?
