GOLFWEEK's Martin Kaufmann noted Dottie Pepper made her debut on CBS' PGA Tour coverage over the weekend at the Farmers Insurance Open, and there was a sense that she "had been working" with analysts Gary McCord and Nick Faldo "for years." She and McCord, "in particular, had a couple of nice back-and-forths." Kaufmann: "I attribute Pepper’s smooth debut to the fact that she is well established as one of the game’s best analysts, and she doesn’t have to prove her worth to her new colleagues." She also is "much better" than former on-course reporter David Feherty or CBS colleague Peter Kostis at "handling the post-round interviews." She is "capable of asking players simple, concise questions rather than the rambling, disjointed monologues that too often characterize interviews with players" (GOLFWEEK.com, 1/31).
ZING DYNASTY: GOLF.com's weekly roundtable discussed Paul Azinger's move to the Fox booth, with SI's Alan Shipnuck noting it is a "big step in the right direction but there are still plenty of other personnel issues to sort out." Not only is Azinger an "excellent announcer he's a strong team-builder and that will have a strong trickle-down effect." SI's Jeff Ritter added, "Zinger is a great hire and I have no doubt he'll be a strong addition." Golf magazine's Josh Sens noted Azinger is a "sharp, distinctive and credible voice with something else" former analyst Greg Norman "was never going to be strong on, no matter how hard he worked at it: a sense of humor." SI's Gary Van Sickle: "Fox finally got one thing right: Zinger is a home run." Golf magazine's Cameron Morfit: "I don't expect a flawless telecast in year two ... but I'll bet their second effort is a whole lot cleaner than their first" (GOLF.com, 2/1).
NO FIRST-TEE JITTERS: SI.com's Richard Deitsch noted Feherty on Thursday will debut in the 18th tower as lead analyst for Golf Channel's coverage of the Waste Management Phoenix Open before moving to his "familiar on-course reporter role during Saturday-Sunday afternoon coverage on NBC, with Dan Hicks and Johnny Miller moving into the 18th tower position." Feherty: "I'm really looking forward to getting started with my new crew. The 18th tower as a lead analyst is something that I've been thinking about, and I'm pretty nervous about it to be honest with you" (SI.com, 1/31). In Phoenix, Scott Bordow writes Feherty’s "honesty, wit and self-deprecating humor are a welcome relief from the serious and sometimes solemn tone of most golf broadcasts." In that respect, he is the "perfect broadcaster" for this week’s tourney in Phoenix (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 2/2).
RECEIVING GOOD NEWS: NBC Sports/Golf Channel analyst Mark Rolfing said tests show his rare form of cancer is now "100 percent gone." Rolfing "was diagnosed last summer with Stage 4 salivary gland cancer." He "managed to return to work in his home state for three Hawaii tournaments" in January (AP, 1/30).
