A Tumultuous 2022 in Golf Media: The Explosive Phil Book, David Feherty Moves and LIV Golf Still Isn't on TV

John Hawkins reviews the top media stories of a wild year, from talent shuffles to Tiger to all things LIV Golf.

Even without the clown act that wasn’t televised or the clash of principles nobody was supposed to see, 2022 was a historically eventful year from a media standpoint. Pro golf’s version of 1968, perhaps, when old and young moved front and center in a collision that threatened the game’s infrastructure and all but promised to ruin its competitive relevance.

As everyone began to rubberneck and the highway backed up for miles, motorists on both sides of the argument have been left to wonder when the road will finally clear. Merger? Consolidation? Alliance? Amalgamation? All amount to wishful terms of endearment in a sport that has never dealt with such strife—and may need yet another full year to clean up the wreckage before traffic flows smoothly again.

LIV and let LIV?

Fasten your safety belt, mister.

Plenty of other notable stuff happened in ‘22, too.

9. Giggle Golf, Gourmet Style

After four years of swings and misses, TNT’s made-for-TV production, obsequiously called “The Match,” finally connected with viewers. A June duel pitting NFL quarterbacks Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers against Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen featured four famous jocks and some fairly decent golf—Rodgers holed a lengthy putt for victory on the 12th (and final) hole. The shortened format worked again 2 ½ weeks ago, when Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth beat Tiger Woods/Rory McIlroy in a bout better remembered for its verbal sparring than the 10 birdies amassed by the victors. It’s not about who wins or loses, but how much smack they talk. In both 2022 versions, the Match walked the walk.

8. Tiger’s Rocky Return

Expectations were pointless after Woods, whose single-car crash in February 2021 almost cost him his right leg, announced he’d return to action 14 months later at the Masters. He opened with a 71, then played the final 54 holes in 14 over to finish 47th. Tiger withdrew from the PGA Championship following a third-round 79, then skipped the U.S. Open to prepare for St. Andrews, where he’d won the British Open in 2000 and 2005. His failure to make the cut at the Old Course wasn’t without an ageless moment—Woods’ walk up the 18th Friday afternoon was a 350-yard emotional journey that brought even Father Time to his knees. Genuflection breeds reflection.

An unforgettable moment with Tiger Woods in the second round of the 2022 British Open.  :: Michael Madrid/USA TODAY Sports

7. Patrick Reed’s Lawsuit

If his defection to LIV Golf was categorized as good riddance by a significant percentage of the game’s fan base, Reed’s legal action—a $750 million claim against Brandel Chamblee and several other Golf Channel announcers (now amended to $820 million with other media added)—stands as an opaque attempt to capitalize on that lack of popularity. In short, the charges stem from “a pattern and practice of defaming Mr. Reed … since he was 23 years old, to destroy his reputation, create hate, and a hostile work environment for him.” Media, beware. Sometimes, the truth resides on a very slippery slope.

6. The Book on Phil

Alan Shipnuck’s unauthorized biographical sketch on Phil Mickelson was full of shocking material, a vast majority of it supported by on-the-record quotes, and the timing of the its release (mid-May) only made it a bigger smash. No golf publication has ever benefited from stronger advance publicity—Mickelson’s early commitment to LIV Golf and subsequent comments sparked an endless chain of public reaction, most of it negative. Between his alleged gambling debts and derogatory statements regarding the PGA Tour, Lefty’s departure turned all that smoke into fire. Shipnuck’s tome would serve aptly as a can of gasoline to the blaze.

5. The Nefarious Norman

Those black hats he frequently wore as a player were of the wide-brimmed variety, which lends symbolic credence to Greg Norman’s narrow scope of sensibilities as LIV Golf’s CEO. The headliner came a month before the rebel league’s launch. Norman’s nonchalant depiction of the death of Washington Post reporter Jamal Khashoggi—a murder traced by many to the Saudi Arabian monarchy—incited worldwide outrage. The Shark’s claim that “three or four networks” were actively pursuing LIV Golf’s television rights made no sense, a boast that sounded more like a lie. If it’s not thin ice Norman has been skating on, that’s because it has already turned to water.

4. Faldo’s Finale

His six major titles and three years at ABC made him a no-brainer to succeed Lanny Wadkins as CBS’ lead analyst, and maybe that was part of the problem. During his 16 seasons alongside anchor Jim Nantz, Faldo’s brain and mouth rarely worked in ideal harmony. His thoughts would emerge in fragments, his vast reservoir of wisdom conveyed in unfinished sentences and non-sequiturs. Sir Nick’s best days calling golf unquestionably occurred at the Masters, a tournament he won three times, but there were a lot of weeks, particularly late in his broadcasting career, when he sounded unprepared and uninterested. Big shoes to fill? Well, uh ...

3. Trevor’s Endeavor

His South African lilt and 2008 Masters title apparently were all Trevor Immelman needed to replace Faldo. Only major champions get to sit in the 18th tower, an unwritten rule at both CBS and NBC, and in this case, there is ample reason to file charges against conventional wisdom. Immelman has rarely handled a heavy air-time workload in his three years with the Eye. His aversion to criticism will become far more evident now that he’s sitting in the lead chair on Sunday afternoon, when golf tournaments are lost at least as often as they are won. Not that CBS wants to ruffle any feathers. Its coverage of the PGA Tour ranks a distant second to that of the Peacock, anyway.

2. David Feherty

He bolted to LIV Golf for the money, for the same superfluous reason as everybody else, except that Feherty is a tried-and-true American patriot despite his Northern Ireland roots. A guy whose tireless work with the U.S. military and veterans of all shapes and stripes made him the last man you’d expect to take a paycheck from a worldwide pariah. Feherty’s comical chops have dulled somewhat in recent years. NBC terminated his weekly show, which left him angry and feeling unwanted, and it was highly unlikely the network would have renewed his huge contract, anyway. Now he’s calling meaningless golf on the internet. An unheard voice near the end of the line.

1. The Invisible League

Sorry, folks. The biggest story of 2022 should be a lot sexier than the inability of some unloved, illicitly funded, renegade faction to land even a temporary TV contract. In this day and age, however, it is impossible to overstate the importance of such a partnership. Easy access. Impact. Potential revenue. Value. Growth. Credibility. That LIV Golf will end the calendar year without such a deal speaks not only to the reluctance of many non-streaming entities to associate themselves with the product, but the lack of fiscal gain to be accrued by the carrier itself. Twenty years from now, it may not matter whether your tournaments are broadcast by conventional means or on a dedicated website, but it matters today. It matters a whole lot.