Johnny Miller, a fixture on the PGA Tour as a golfer and television commentator for nearly 50 years, signed off for the final time after the third round of the Waste Management Phoenix Open on Saturday at TPC Scottsdale in Scottsdale, Ariz.
The 71-year-old Miller, who was born and raised in San Francisco, first hit golf’s radar screen when he tied for eighth in the 1966 U.S. Open at the famed Olympic Club in his hometown to earn low-amateur honors at the age of 19.
After a PGA Tour career that earned him a spot in the World Golf Hall of Fame, Miller was named lead analyst of NBC Sports’ golf broadcast team in 1990.
“My favorite saying at home is, ‘OK, that’s enough of that,’” said Miller, who was known for being candid and sometimes controversial on the air. “Well, that’s where I am right now. That’s enough of this.
“You want to be the most-popular announcer in your sport, but you also want to be one of the least popular. There’s no fence-riding. Elicit a response. That’s what they’re looking for.
“I did that when I talked about my own game. I would almost brag when I was doing great, and I’d say I choked when I didn’t. So it was just an extension of how I viewed golf. It wasn’t something I made up. It wasn’t like I was trying to be some controversial announcer. I was just being who I was. I think that’s why the public liked me. They knew I wasn’t faking it.”
Paul Azinger, who won 12 times on the PGA Tour including the 1993 PGA Championship at Bethpage Black, will replace Miller next to lead announcer Dan Hicks in the NBC booth.
Miller earned eight Emmy nominations as “Outstanding Sports Personality—Sports Event Analyst.”
On the course, Miller collected 35 victories in his pro career, including 25 on the PGA Tour. In 1963, he became the first player to shoot 63 in a major championship and did it in the final round to win the U.S. Open by one stroke over John Schlee at Oakmont.
Miller claimed a second major title by winning the 1976 Open Championship by six strokes over Jack Nicklaus and Seve Ballesteros of Spain at Carnoustie Golf Links in Scotland.
After turning pro at 22, he won his first PGA Tour event, the 1971 Southern Open Invitational.
Among Miller’s victories on the circuit were two in the Phoenix Open in 1974 and 1975, the latter by a whopping 14 strokes, so he bowed out on Saturday in one of his favorite spots.
As an amateur, Miller captured the 1963 San Francisco Junior Championship, the 1964 U.S. Junior Amateur and the 1968 California State Amateur Championship.
A two-time All-American at BYU, Miller lived in Napa for several years before moving his family to Heber City, Utah. He will retain a connection to the PGA Tour as host of the Safeway Open at Silverado Resort and Spa in Napa.
