AUSTIN, TEXAS | There is an overlap between Bob Ford, the legendary former head professional at Seminole and Oakmont, and the most respected broadcast analysts within golf.
They have a certain presence. As my high school English teacher would say, they use “an economy of words,” and their points are made in a concise, direct and thoughtful manner. When they have something to say, you know it is improving upon the silence.
So it makes sense that the recently retired Ford, 68, would join Golf Channel’s George Savaricas and Tripp Isenhour in the booth to commentate during last week’s PGA Professional Championship. It’s an event Ford played extensively throughout his iconic career, qualifying for 10 PGA Championships from 1981 to 2005. His depth of competitive experience is nearly unparalleled in the club pro ranks, this being the man who once made the cut in a U.S. Open at Oakmont while managing the tournament’s merchandising operation at the same time.
The opportunity came via Mark Loomis, a Seminole member and the recently named senior vice president of production at Golf Channel. Loomis connected with a couple of other prominent Seminole members, chairman of NBC Sports Group Pete Bevacqua and PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh, who both agreed that Ford would be a great fit for the role.
It wasn’t the first time Ford has been a part of a TV production. He worked on FS1 during the 2016 U.S. Open at Oakmont alongside Shane O’Donoghue, Gil Hanse and Holly Sonders, going four hours on air, four hours off and then four hours on again. There aren’t many things that can make a pro of Ford’s stature uneasy, but he went to Loomis back then confessing that he was nervous about his commentating debut.
“Don’t worry about it; you’ve been preparing for 35 years,” Ford remembers Loomis, then head of the Fox Sports telecast, telling him.
That experience at his home club went swimmingly, but Ford still felt the nerves on Easter Sunday when he resumed his broadcast career in a parking lot just outside the Omni Barton Creek Resort. He commentated during all four rounds in the 3-6 p.m. EDT window, gaining comfort with each round.
“I’m here just to add a little bit of flavor here and there,” Ford said on Monday morning, the rolling foothills of central Texas behind him. “Probably to a fault, I tend to stay quieter. You know, I want to talk a little bit more, but I'm a little nervous to jump in.”
It didn’t feel that way listening to the broadcast. There were multiple points when Ford’s insight shined through and added to the viewer experience.
When Savaricas asked him to compare the pressure of a PGA Professional Championship versus the PGA Championship that 20 PGA members qualify for, Ford’s answer was surprising.
“George, I would say there is more pressure here,” Ford said. “This is really our championship. This is where we really feel we can compete. When we get to the PGA Championship, we’ve kind of done our job. We’re there in la-la land. It’s our Walter Mitty moment. We’re not expected to do well there, but here we are.”
Then there was a note on over-preparing for such a momentous event while managing the many duties a club pro has: “I’ve gone through the mistakes of getting there and going, ‘I’ve got to practice; I’ve got to hit balls every day.’ And by the time the first day came, I had nothing left. You just have to do what you do and be as good as you can be. But you can't be somebody you're not.”
Ford calls this broadcast experience a likely one-off and hopes his friend Darrell Kestner can go in the booth at some point to continue a tradition of top PGA members being heard on the telecast. If you are wondering what Ford has going on outside of this experience, the answer is a lot.
Late in the championship when a 4-for-3 playoff commenced to see who would grab the final spots at Southern Hills, Ford dropped an interesting nugget: There used to be no playoff at all. The player with the lower score in the final round would automatically advance.
“At least they get a chance to play for it on the course now,” Ford said.
At one point during the first round, the broadcast focused on Matt Cahill, the new Seminole head pro who took over for Ford after last year’s Walker Cup. When Savaricas suggested that Cahill has big shoes to fill – which is the understatement of the century as it relates to the club pro industry – Ford replied by saying, “he can handle it; he has all the tools.”
At the end of the sequence talking about Cahill, Ford was asked how proud he is of his protégé. Jokingly, Ford said, “I’d be more proud of him if he made this putt,” referring to a 10-foot par attempt that went begging. Cahill, a strong player in his own right, made the 54-hole cut and finished tied for 50th.
Cahill was one of seven participants in the event who had worked under Ford in some fashion, which is a remarkable number. There are many head pros who don’t even have seven former assistants who have gone on to other positions. Wyatt Worthington II, a former caddie at Seminole, led that group with a T4 finish.
Seeing them play in the PGA Professional Championship means that Ford is still living vicariously through them. Hearing him talk about this tournament, it’s clear there is an extra emotion attached to it.
“For me to get to play in the PGA Championship throughout my career is like somebody jumping up playing above their level playing in the PGA Professional Championship,” Ford said. “You know, it’s something we all dream about and strive for. It’s just always meant a lot to a lot of us.”
He was adamant about paying for an Oakmont membership – “I wanted to be on the same footing as everyone,” Ford said. And he has an honorary membership at Seminole, where he plays once or twice per week. He occasionally plays Trump Jupiter and Jonathan’s Landing, close to where he lives, so there are plenty of options to tee it up now that he has more time on his hands.
Ford also sits on the executive committee for the Pennsylvania Golf Association and is the PGA’s ambassador for the PGA Reach Foundation, among other endeavors that focus on strengthening the game at a grassroots level.
“That keeps me a little bit busy and keeps me still in the game,” Ford said. “Now it’s my turn to give back.”
He’s being modest. Ford has always given back, and he did so again last week when he offered one of the most valuable voices the game has.
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