5 Questions for Johnny Miller

by Andrew Marchand, NY Post

Recently, the New York Post’s Andrew Marchand spoke with NBC golf analyst Johnny Miller who just signed a six-year extension with the network. Miller said this would be his final TV contract.

Q: What is the biggest misconception of you?

A: That I am a tough guy. I’m really not. I’m really as easy-going as they get.

Q: Why do you think there is that perception? Is it because of how outspoken you are on the air?

A: It’s because I’m so frank on the air and I don’t really pull punches. People think I must be like that in daily life, but I’m not. I am an honest person, but I don’t go out of my way to say what I say on the air. On the air, I fell I have a responsibility to the viewers. I have learned to bit my tongue a little bit, but it’s not something I do too much.

Q: What’s your personal relationship with Tiger Woods?

A: I don’t have a relationship. It is literally just professional. He knows that I have a job to do and I know he has a job to do. I respect him tremendously for how he handles everything, but I don’t think he loves any announcer, to be honest with you. I think he puts up with us, but that’s about it. A good number of players will actually kiss our butt because they want us to say nice things about them. Tiger could care less. It is like, ‘You do whatever you do and I’ll do whatever I do. I’m not going to love you.’ That is just the way it is with him He doesn’t go out of his way to be nice to us. He just does the bare minimum.

Q: Who is the best golfer of all-time?

A: The best golfer that I’ve ever seen for a sustained year was Tiger’s 2000. That golf was off the planet. I don’t think that Jack Nicklaus ever approached that level of golf. But, in a career, I think Jack is still a little ahead of Tiger.

Q: In other sports, what analysts do you enjoy listening to?

A: They talk about all the JMs- John McEnroe, John Madden, Johnny Miller and Joe Morgan. For some reason, the JMs are the ones that are the most outspoken. Of course, you have Charles Barkley. He is in a different league. If I said some of the stuff that Barkley did, I would be run out of town.