“I WAS THE RIGHT DRUNK AT THE RIGHT BAR AT THE RIGHT TIME” David Feherty
It’s easy to forget that David Feherty played in perhaps the most famous Ryder Cup of all time. The 63-year-old has spent nearly 25 years entertaining fans as the PGA Tour’s resident raconteur behind the mic, but there was a time when he was just like the many people he now interviews.
Prior to becoming one of the biggest personalities in golf, the Northern Irishman spent the best part of two decades competing inside the ropes and played in the same European team as Seve Ballesteros during the 1991 Ryder Cup, beating Payne Stewart in the singles.
By the time he retired at the age of just 38, Feherty had won 10 times, including five titles on the European Tour, and twice finished in the top of the European Tour’s Order of Merit despite playing hungover for much of it.
“My playing days were awash with partying,” says Feherty with piercing honesty. “I knew I wasn’t going to be a really, really top echelon player. I played at the highest level and played well at times, but I didn’t have the work ethic. It was only when I got into broadcasting that I felt more at home.”
It’s because of his work as a commentator and analyst for NBC and now CBS that he is on first name terms with everyone from Tiger and Jack to Rory McIlroy and President Bush. More recently he’s earned greater notoriety as an author of several books and the host of Feherty, on which he’s interviewed four U.S. Presidents and legends from the world of film and sport. The Emmy-nominated talk show ran for 10 series and 150 episodes on the Golf Channel before it was cancelled last January.
“‘I GOT INTO DRINKING EARLY AND I OFTEN WONDER WHAT MY CAREER MIGHT HAVE LOOKED LIKE IF I HADN’T DISCOVERED THE BOOZE. BUT I DID PLAY
