Thankfully, Paul Azinger's boneheaded comments about trees (give us more!) ...

[JMEvensky]

Who was the last great american golf commentator? 


Venturi?

1) Johnny Miller


2) Roger Maltbie


3) Judy Rankin

[Tim Martin]

Who was the last great american golf commentator? 


Venturi?

1) Johnny Miller


2) Roger Maltbie


3) Judy Rankin

I was always a fan of Johnny Miller. Tough to beat this trio cited by JM.

[David Cronan]

I put these in the same category:


Azinger
Bob Trumpy
Charlie Jones
Maury Povich
Jim Lange (The Dating Game....he was actually was hired by somebody to man a booth of some golf events)

[mike_beene]

Golf must not have been fun for Azinger. His comments tend to deal with pressure and fear. I am sure he must have been a high stress player.

[William_G]

How about Morgan Pressel?

her voice is HORRIBLE

[David Kelly]

Remember that Azinger learned a lot of what he knows about golf course architecture from the immortal Jed Azinger, his brother and  the auteur behind Heritage Oaks, Heritage Isles, Heritage Bay, Heritage Harbor, The Royal Course at Heritage Palms, The Sable Course at Heritage Palms, and other courses with the name of Heritage. 


Who are George Thomas, Billy Bell and Gil Hanse compared to that resume?

[Jeff Schley]

Golf must not have been fun for Azinger. His comments tend to deal with pressure and fear. I am sure he must have been a high stress player.

Agree, he has various ways of saying “pressure” mixed with a thought. I loved Johnny Miller, Renton Liadlaw and Peter Allis. I thought Peter Kostis made some good commentary. I recall a couple years ago one of the majors brought in Phil Mickelson for a couple hours and he was good IMO.

[Charlie Goerges]

Golf must not have been fun for Azinger. His comments tend to deal with pressure and fear. I am sure he must have been a high stress player.

Agree, he has various ways of saying “pressure” mixed with a thought. I loved Johnny Miller, Renton Liadlaw and Peter Allis. I thought Peter Kostis made some good commentary. I recall a couple years ago one of the majors brought in Phil Mickelson for a couple hours and he was good IMO.

Yeah, for a pretty long while he was saddled with the “best player without a major” title. I think it must have worn on him a bit. Lots of self-pressure is a good way to take the fun out of the game.

[Matthew Rose]

3) Judy Rankin

I quite like Judy Rankin. I don't think I appreciated her enough growing up.

[Niall C]

And, while he's not a commentator, I was impressed with another Paul - McGinley - taking Rory to task for an overly conservative gameplay and for even ending up in the bunker in which his ball embedded, leading to the bogey that sealed his fate.

McGinley was jumping between UK TV and US TV. So moments before he was apparently slagging off Rory on US TV for being overly conservative, he was on UK TV lauding Rory for his patience and for sticking to the game plan as he played the 13th. Admittedly, I'm biased because I don't like the guy but I've never thought that he's added anything worthwhile as an analyst.


Niall

[JMEvensky]

Golf must not have been fun for Azinger. His comments tend to deal with pressure and fear. I am sure he must have been a high stress player.

I'm guessing someone like a Pat Burke could give you some insight into PA's inner demons if he wanted--doubtful he'd want to do so in a public forum.

[Greg Hohman]

And, while he's not a commentator, I was impressed with another Paul - McGinley - taking Rory to task for an overly conservative gameplay and for even ending up in the bunker in which his ball embedded, leading to the bogey that sealed his fate.

McGinley was jumping between UK TV and US TV. So moments before he was apparently slagging off Rory on US TV for being overly conservative, he was on UK TV lauding Rory for his patience and for sticking to the game plan as he played the 13th. Admittedly, I'm biased because I don't like the guy but I've never thought that he's added anything worthwhile as an analyst.


Niall

This jumping between audiences was unknown to me. (I am behind the times.) Thanks, Niall.

[John Kavanaugh]

Azinger is 4 days older than me. I’m not sure if he left a drop of potential at the door. Beat cancer at 33 and it’s buried deep in his wiki. He could give me a run for a well lived life.


https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Azinger

[Wayne_Kozun]

Who was the last great american golf commentator? 


Venturi?

Judy Rankin

[Michael George]

I honestly agree with Azinger.  He is not saying that trees, bunkers and narrow fairways make good golf.  He is saying that they are needed to test the best players in the world today.  It is a distinction between a great golf course architecturally and a great golf course for the US Open.   There can be a difference.

Angles of play simply don't provide enough of a defense.  For instance, on a cape hole with the hazard on the left, the front, right greenside bunker to a tucked pin is not hard enough for the best players in the world.  They will hit to the outside of the cape and launch a shot high over that bunker that lands soft.  Today you need rough and trees to defend the outside of the dogleg against the best players in the world.  Yes, it creates boring golf, but it will define who is hitting his golf ball the best.  That is what Azinger and Brandel aresaying and they are right. 
Next year at Pinehurst #2, if they don't have significant/wide-spread penalties in the sandy areas off the fairways (ie. clumps of grass and natives, footprints, etc...), you will get the same criticism that LACC got....maybe worse.

[Jason Topp]

To me he appeared right on that hole.  Perhaps the hole would be better at that level as a par four but if par is going to be five, it would have been pretty straightforward if players did not have to deal with the trees.

[David Kelly]

Today you need rough and trees to defend the outside of the dogleg against the best players in the world.  Yes, it creates boring golf, but it will define who is hitting his golf ball the best.  That is what Azinger and Brandel aresaying and they are right. 
Next year at Pinehurst #2, if they don't have significant/wide-spread penalties in the sandy areas off the fairways (ie. clumps of grass and natives, footprints, etc...), you will get the same criticism that LACC got....maybe worse.

I think you're right.  We need a course set-up to keep poor ball strikers like Rory McIlroy, Scotty Scheffler, Jon Rahm and Tom Kim from rising to the top of the leaderboard.  How much of a test could LACC have been if guys like that are at the top.

[Cliff Hamm]

Venturi had a classic line many years ago.  Talking about plumb bob putting he commented, to paraphrase…only purpose is to read True Temper..

[Kalen Braley]

Today you need rough and trees to defend the outside of the dogleg against the best players in the world.  Yes, it creates boring golf, but it will define who is hitting his golf ball the best.  That is what Azinger and Brandel aresaying and they are right. 
Next year at Pinehurst #2, if they don't have significant/wide-spread penalties in the sandy areas off the fairways (ie. clumps of grass and natives, footprints, etc...), you will get the same criticism that LACC got....maybe worse.

I think you're right.  We need a course set-up to keep poor ball strikers like Rory McIlroy, Scotty Scheffler, Jon Rahm and Tom Kim from rising to the top of the leaderboard.  How much of a test could LACC have been if guys like that are at the top.

David,

Excellent point indeed.

Having 5 of the top 10 from the world rankings finish in the top 10, is certainly a very poor reflection of the setup.... 

[Carl Rogers]

I am in the camp of wanting less commentary and let the golf speak for itself.

[Pete_Pittock]

kudos to Mel Reid for her last minute gig at Pebble Beach

[Craig Sweet]

I think Jason Day might have a future in the both.


https://youtu.be/LsQgZzkpppw

[Jeff Schley]

Don't cry, but zinger is out. Must have been the "pressure".

https://www.espn.com/golf/story/_/id/38934533/paul-azinger-nbc-golf-analyst-contract-not-renewed

[Kalen Braley]

I won't be sad to see him go, but now who?

Perhaps they can steal Feherty back from LIV? 

[David Cronan]

I won't be sad to see him go, but now who?

Azinger and my ex-wife share a common ethos: Often wrong, never in doubt.


Frankly, a tree stump in the booth would be a major improvement.