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PGA Tour Season Preview
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THE DAILY Goes One-on-One With Golf Channel’s Tilghman
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Golf Channel’s Tilghman (l) And Faldo
Pairing Up For PGA Tour Coverage |
Golf Channel will have a familiar face in a new role for the ’07 season
as it begins the first year of a 15-year deal as the PGA Tour’s exclusive
cable partner. Kelly Tilghman, who has served as a reporter and hosted several
of the net’s original programs, takes over as lead announcer in what has
been called “one of the highest-profile jobs ever held by a woman in sports
broadcasting.” Already a very popular figure in golf circles, Tilghman should
have no trouble adjusting to the spotlight as she takes her place alongside lead
analyst Nick Faldo. In a One-on-One interview with Staff Writer Brad Pinkerton,
Tilghman discussed the Tour’s new FedEx Cup, her role with the network and
why Homeland Security may be keeping a close eye on her.
| Place and date of birth: Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. August 6,
1969. |
| Education: B.A. from Duke Univ. in Political Science and History. |
| Book most recently read: “Holy War, Inc” [by Peter
Bergen], a study of Osama Bin Laden’s life. And I left it on the plane
after a flight from N.Y. to Orlando, so I’m probably going to get
screened next time I go through airport security. |
| Current favorite song: I listen to everything. |
| Movie watched most recently: “Anchorman.” |
| Favorite vacation spot: I try to go to a different place every
time I travel. ... One of my best trips ever was Australia, Scuba diving
in the Great Barrier Reef. |
| Best advice ever received: It came in such casual fashion from
Charles Barkley. He told me that if you want to be successful, you should
surround yourself with successful people and study their habits. |
Q: What challenges are you looking forward to in your new role at Golf
Channel?
Tilghman: What I’m most looking forward to is working with this team
of broadcasters that we’ve assembled. And obviously taking my career to
the next level. ... If there weren’t any challenges or obstacles, then I
wouldn’t see it as the next step. That’s part of the beauty of this
job: you know that you’re furthering your career when you take on new challenges.
And I fully anticipate several new challenges and I embrace that.
Q: Do you feel like there had previously been any barriers for women in
the broadcasting booth for PGA Tour telecasts or men’s sporting events in
general?
Tilghman: I don’t really know if I can address it as a “barrier.”
What I think we’re experiencing is a bit of a cultural revolution in our
country. ... You see Katie Couric stepping into the [“CBS Evening News”]
role and that’s a first [for a female] in history. You see the potential
for Hillary Rodham Clinton to run for President. You have a record number of women
serving in Congress and it’s growing exponentially. I would say that we’re
undergoing a cultural revolution across the board, not just in sports, and I’m
just happy to be part of it.
Q: What are your thoughts on the PGA Tour’s inaugural FedEx Cup?
What impact do you think it will have on the Tour and the fans?
Tilghman: I think it’s a fantastic idea, and very timely. I think
the Tour was ready for a change and this is going to give not only players, but
also fans, a focus each and every week that these guys tee it up. There’s
a year-end target and a giant carrot dangling worth about $10M. I think it’s
going to be very exciting for everyone.
Q: Do you see the Cup as being a work in progress or do you think the initial
format will stick?
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Finchem Makes Tweaks To System
In Months Leading Up To Debut
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Tilghman: With some of the tweaks they’ve already made just in the
past couple of months, I think [PGA Tour Commissioner] Tim Finchem has said it,
the players know it, and everyone is on board with the fact that it’s a
brand new system, we’re going to try it on for size and there are going
to be tweaks along the way. I don’t know many people who figured it out
and aced it the first time. It could be a hit. I like the way it sets up. I love
the fact that they put the playoffs into motion with eliminations each week, I
think that was a great move. And golf is now on par -- pardon the pun -- with
other great sports that have those very exciting playoff systems. I think it’s
very good for the game.
Q: You played golf professionally after a collegiate career at Duke. What
will be more nerve-racking: preparing to play in a tournament or preparing to
call one on national television?
Tilghman: Preparing to play in a tournament, especially with the level
of talent and competition out there right now. One of the reasons I walked away
from the game was because the competition was so, so stiff. I was competing against
Annika [Sorenstam] and Karrie [Webb] and Laura Davies, the best of the best. There’s
such a demand for near perfection out there right now that women’s golf
-- along with men’s golf -- is very healthy.
Q: Are there any similarities to your philosophy on the course and in the
booth?
Tilghman: I’ve never thought about that. When I go to the golf course
now, it’s one of my escapes to get away from my job. I still talk about
the game when I’m playing with other people, but for me it’s a complete
escape, so I’d say I probably don’t approach golf the same way I approach
my job right now because it’s a chance for me to take a breather.
Q: This season marks the beginning of Golf Channel’s 15-year deal
with the PGA Tour. How do you respond to those who say the Tour has taken a step
backward in its move from USA Network and ESPN to Golf Channel?
Tilghman: Well, it’s their opinion. I don’t know if I can say
much more than that. I think that it depends on how you’re looking at it.
A lot of people would see this as a step forward from a viewer’s standpoint,
because now everybody is going to know where to go to find the PGA Tour. It’s
definitely a step in the right direction as far as that’s concerned. We’ve
been covering golf for 12 years now at every single level of the game. The depth
of knowledge and experience on our staff is priceless and I think it’s a
great opportunity for us to get a chance to show that.
Q: Do you think there will be backlash among sponsors and fans because
of the move?
Tilghman: There has to be a grace period for growth. You have to give the
public a chance to figure out where the PGA Tour has gone and a chance to switch
over to the Golf Channel. If they’re first-time viewers, they’ll learn
about us. If they’ve been watching us for years -- we have a massive core
audience -- they’ll know where to go. But there has to be a little bit of
a grace period there for people to understand that the PGA Tour is going to be
seen on a different channel now, but it’s the only channel. They’ll
have a chance to digest that and they’ll start switching over and those
numbers will grow over the years.
Q: What can we expect from Golf Channel’s coverage this season? Will
there be any unique production elements that make it stand out from other nets’
coverage?
Tilghman: We have a lot of neat little surprises in store for the viewers.
Although some of it will come from the same vein as far as presentation is concerned,
we’re going to try to add our own personality to each thing that we do.
It’s going to be neat to see the chemistry [of the broadcast team] comes
together and how we all interact. It’s a brand new family in many ways.
Also, we have a couple of technological toys that we’re going to bust out
that are going to garner a lot of attention. ... One is called Aim Point. It’s
an awesome piece of technology that is used to show the optimum line a player
must putt along to make his or her putt. When you see this thing in motion, you’re
going to eat it up. Also, we’re debuting something called Win Zone. In essence,
it’s a computer that’s going to calculate the likelihood of a player
to win a golf tournament and get to a certain score to do it. It’s really
cool -- it considers their history on the golf course over the last few years
and also against every player in the field and their propensity to make birdies.
It’s a very unique toy.
Q: Do you have a catch-phrase ready?
Tilghman: I don’t have catch-phrases. It’s not something intentional;
I just call things the way that I see them. I’ve never been one to adhere
to catch-phrases.
Q: What is the biggest issue facing the PGA Tour today and what will it
need to do to clear this hurdle?
Tilghman: It’d be great if Tiger [Woods] had a challenger. I think
that would really ramp up the interest levels. He’s carrying the Tour fairly
well on his own, but I think that if he had a challenger, especially a young newcomer,
people would get charged.
Q: Do you see anybody playing right now capable of making that step?
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Tilghman Feels Mickelson Was Close
To Challenging Tiger As No. 1 Golfer
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Tilghman: Yeah, everybody comes in waves. One of his biggest challenges
to date is Vijay Singh, who actually stripped the No. 1 seat from him for a little
while. It looked for a while like [Phil] Mickelson was going to be that guy, until
the 72nd hole at Winged Foot and he’s been taking a bit of a sabbatical.
... Another guy I’d like to see get his game back together is Ernie Els.
But I don’t know if the absolute ideal challenger is on Tour right now.
Q: Having said that, do you think it’s bad for the Tour that Tiger
is this dominant?
Tilghman: No, I don’t think it’s bad for the Tour at all because
I’m a huge fan of dynasties. When someone’s chasing down history,
it’s just as good a rival as any player you can dream up.
Q: How would you grade Tim Finchem’s tenure as PGA Tour Commissioner
to this point? What, if anything, would you have handled differently?
Tilghman: You have to give him a good grade, but I’m not a player.
I don’t know what goes on, I don’t know the inner workings. From a
media perspective, I’d give him an “A.” With the help of Tiger
Woods -- a lot of help from Tiger -- the purses are astronomical; the Tour financially
seems to be very healthy; and they have a strong stable of players, domestically
and internationally, they’ve been able to attract the world’s best
from all over the globe. ... I think Tim Finchem has played a major role in getting
the Tour where it is today. He’s a man with a strong vision, very futuristic.
I love the fact that he sees Golf Channel as the potential home for the PGA Tour.
I’m definitely not going to say anything negative about that move, I think
that’s a great move.
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