Johnny Miller is something of a legend in US golf. Not so much for winning the British Open and US Open four decades ago, but for his 25 years as a television golf analyst.
At 67, he is considering retirement, but a big part of him wants to see if Tiger Woods can rediscover his game.
“It was a lot more fun when he was winning,” Miller said of Woods. “I don’t like to see him where he is.”
Miller is known for taking on controversial topics. He was the first US golf pundit to use the word “choke” to describe a player’s game, on live TV, and he also has had run-ins with Woods.
Miller was never more prescient than in a book he wrote 10 years ago, I Call The Shots. In considering whether Woods, who had eight majors in 2004, could surpass the 18 majors won by Jack Nicklaus, Miller wrote that Woods was an old 28 as a child prodigy.
“I have a feeling Tiger is dead in his prime right now, and that it won’t be long before the hole shrinks back to its regulation four-and-a-quarter-inch size,” Miller wrote.
“I’m lukewarm on the prospect of another stretch of play like he experienced in winning the Tiger Slam.”
Woods has been stuck on 14 majors since 2008, though Miller was slightly off on his timing.
A year after the book came out, Woods won six majors, was runner-up four times and only twice finished out of the top four.
Winning majors has been tough on Woods since the implosion in his personal life, followed by a variety of leg and back injuries. Woods has missed 25 per cent of the majors dating to 2011.
“I knew he’d have a down time,” Miller said. “His personal life tumbled in. He lost a lot of mojo there, and then he’s had injuries on top of that. He had a lot happen in a short amount of time.
“He’s in an interesting place right now. I think he’s going to have a second career that will be pretty good. But he’s got to get it going pretty soon. I’m pulling for him big time.”
He would not be surprised if Woods wins two majors next year. He would not be surprised if Woods went a seventh straight year without a major. Woods has never been more difficult to predict, especially with a talent pool in golf that is getting deeper every year.
“He still thinks he’s young. He’s an old 38. I hope I’m wrong. But he’s been going hard at it since he was just out of diapers,” Miller said.
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