27 Nov
published in category: Sports Talk Radio on Monday, November 27th, 2023 – 10:45 am
This week’s Pittsburgh Pop features author Dick Roberts to talk about his new book “Growing up Yinzer.” We also get into the latest “Fargo” series and Pittsburgh ties to”Squid game: The Challenge.”
24 Nov
published in category: Next on the Tee on Friday, November 24th, 2023 – 9:25 am
Jim McLean has been inducted into 4 Hall of Fames. His list of awards and accolades as an Instructor are too numerous to list. I get Jim’s thoughts on how we can build confidence in ourselves and our game’s, how to raise our play to tournament level, and the one thing we can do today to lower our scores this weekend. Give him a follow online at www.jimmclean.com and on social media @mcleangolf
Frank Nobilo won 14 times around the world, he finished in the Top 10 of all 4 majors, and is now an all-time great Analyst. We discuss why PGA Tour players are overpaid, what could happen if the PIF/PGA Tour partnership doesn’t go through plus, we go back to his T4 finish in the 1994 US Open at Oakmont, and what it was like being on the course at Augusta National as Greg Norman was collapsing in 1996.
Ron Reed worked for the USGA for over two decades and was the Starter at the US Open from 1986 to 2010. We hear his memories of announcing Arnold Palmer in Arnie’s final US Open at Oakmont in 1994, who Ron thought was the most nervous player he ever saw standing on the first tee (his answer will surprise you), being there for Payne Stewart’s triumph in 1999 and Phil’s heartbreak in 2006. You’ll also hear the heartwarming story of presenting Tom Watson’s caddie Bruce Edwards with the flag from the 17th green from the 1982 US Open. We also get the story of the beaver who halted the 1990 US Amateur Public Links tournament. Follow Ron on Twitter @golfdinosaurrr and get his book, Starting the US Open, Shinnecock to Pebble Beach online at www.ronread.com or on Amazon.
Stephen Cox has been a PGA Tour Rules Official since 1997. We hear about some of the unpopular rulings he’s had to give out over the years and the players who didn’t agree with him. We learn about the job the Rules Officials do which goes way beyond riding around in a golf cart handing out penalties. They are responsible for course setup and playing conditions and sometimes they are working on those things a year in advance of the tournament. We also discuss the rule he thinks the USGA & R&A need to take another look at. You can follow Stephen and his peers plus send them your rules questions on Twitter @pgatourrules.
20 Nov
published in category: Sports Talk Radio on Monday, November 20th, 2023 – 11:29 am
“Rustin”premieres. Urkel is back. We look at “Ghosts UK” A special deal for MAX. Fake sideline reports. And we have the Thanksgiving NFL lineup.
15 Nov
published in category: Next on the Tee on Wednesday, November 15th, 2023 – 1:49 pm
On this episode two of the Top Instructors in our game, Tom Patri and John Hughes, join me along with Champions Tour Pro Rob Labritz and PGA Tour SuperStore Chief Merchandising Officer Randy Peitsch.
TP and I also reflect back on two great feel-good stories from the Bermuda Championship in the performances of Tyson Alexander and Camilo Villegas’s inspirational victory.
Champions Tour Pro Rob Labritz and I go back to his journey through Champions Tour Q-School in 2021. He was the medalist which earned him his Tour card. You’ll hear about his grind to get there. We also talk about perhaps the best bogey save I’ve ever seen which earned Rob the final spot in last week’s Charles Schwab Cup Championship.
Randy Peitsch is the Chief Merchandising Officer for the PGA Tour SuperStore. Randy shares several great gift ideas for the golf enthusiast in our lives, even if that person is us. We hear what his Top 3 gift ideas are plus some great new tech items that have recently hit the shelves. Next, we get into the new TGL League. Arthur Blank not only owns the Atlanta Falcons, he also owns the PGA Tour SuperStore and the new Atlanta franchise in the TGL. We talk about the team, the players, and how the SuperStore is going to be involved with the League.
We round out the show with more from John Hughes. John is a PGA Master Professional so I tap into that to get us tips for how to make more putts when we’re faced with fast downhill lies. He gives us some mental tips when we’re faced with pitching over a pond, and how to get more distance off the tee. John also hosted a couple of golf schools up at McLemore this year. He got a firsthand look at the second course that Bill Bergin and Rees Jones are Co-Designing up there called The Keep. Rees shared with us a few months ago that it’s so good it could host a major tournament one day. John walked the course and shared his perspective on what we’ll see when that course opens in the Spring.
13 Nov
published in category: Sports Talk Radio on Monday, November 13th, 2023 – 7:49 am
This week’s Pittsburgh Pop with Rob Owen and Tim Benz: Resolving the SAG-AFTRA strike, someone is leaving WTAE, new programming on SportsNet Pittsburgh, and another chapter to the “Band of Brothers” series.
08 Nov
published in category: Next on the Tee on Wednesday, November 8th, 2023 – 5:16 pm
This week I am joined by 2 legends of the game, John Cook and John Mahaffey, plus one of the great players in Western Pennsylvania history Bob Friend Jr., and Top 100 Instructor and Pittsburgh native Eric Johnson.
John Cook and I go back to his epic victory at the 1983 Canadian Open when he defeated Johnny Miller on the 6th playoff hole. We hear how, in his 2nd season on Tour, he held up to the pressure of trying to win arguably the 5th biggest event on Tour at the time, over a legend like Miller. We also get into the great things his father Jim did to advance PGA Tour purses plus John’s course design work.
John Mahaffey won the 1978 PGA Championship at Oakmont. We go back to that tournament and hear what it was like for him to get that win after having lost 2 previous US Opens. John would double down on that PGA victory by winning the very next week at the American Optical Classic over the only Optometrist on Tour, Dr. Gil Morgan. John also shares his memories of being a part of the victorious 1979 Ryder Cup team and why it’s the most scared he’s ever been.
Bob Friend Jr. was a grinder on Tour for over 20 years. He’s also one of the best players in Western Pennsylvania golf history. He won the 1984 & ’85 Western Pennsylvania Amateur Championships. He backed that up by winning the ’85 Pennsylvania State Amateur Championship. We hear about all 3 of those victories plus insights into some of the other great area courses he enjoys including his own club, Oakmont Country Club.
Eric Johnson has been named a Top 100 Instructor for over a decade now. He spent 17 years at Oakmont CC, several of which were as the Director of Instruction. He’s now at Yellowstone Golf Club in Big Sky, Montana. We hear about Yellowstone and some other great Montana courses that should be on our list to play. Eric recently took a trip to Southern California where he played Monterey Peninsula CC, Pebble Beach, Cypress Point, and Spanish Bay. If that wasn’t great enough, he followed that up with a visit to Pine Valley. We hear about all of that plus we get a tip for how to play better as the temperatures go down and the turf gets harder.
06 Nov
published in category: Sports Talk Radio on Monday, November 6th, 2023 – 11:03 am
In this week’s Pittsburgh Pop, Tim Benz and Rob Owen have the latest on the SAG-AFTRA labor situation. There is some news from WQED, and there’s an update about the prospect of a National Broadcasting Museum in Pittsburgh.
04 Nov
published in category: Next on the Tee on Saturday, November 4th, 2023 – 12:00 pm
Rick Reilly joins me in this special segment of Next on the Tee. Rick shares his thoughts on: