Favourite TV Golf Commentary Lines

KNOWING the right thing to say is one thing. Knowing when to say it is something different. Like many of you out there, I have spent a fair amount of time watching Sky Sports’ re-runs of famous golf tournaments and Ryder Cups as they attempt to fill the schedules left empty by the lack of live action. And it got me thinking about all those commentators and analysts who help to bring the action to life for us. Here are 10 of my favourite lines…

“The world’s No. 1 tennis player spends 90% of his time winning, while the world’s No. 1 golfer spends 90% of his time losing. Golfers are great losers.” 

David Feherty

“The Ryder Cup will be flying home on Concorde tonight.”

Ewen Murray after the winning putt was holed by Seve Ballesteros at the 1987 Ryder Cup at Muirfield Village in Dublin, Ohio.

“He’s hit an absolute corker.”

The legendary Henry Longhurst, struggling to choke back the tears as Tony Jacklin split the fairway at the 72nd hole on his way to winning The Open at Royal Lytham in 1969 - the first Briton to do so for 18 long years.

"These greens are so fast it’s like they have been bikini-waxed."

Gary McCord describing the putting surfaces at Augusta - a sentence that saw the US analyst banned from the property.

"It’s not over yet"

Whoops! Peter Alliss as Phil Mickelson holed the winning putt at The Masters in 2004 and leapt into the air.

"Is it his time? YES! At long last."

Alliss may have got it wrong but Jim Nantz did not. After so many close calls, Mickelson finally broke through to claim his first major and Nantz was right there, calling it perfectly.

“Wow! In your life have you ever seen anything like that?”

CBS Sports commentator Verne Lundquist after Tiger Woods holed that mind-boggling chip at 16th hole at The Masters in 2005 when the ball trickled down the slope, stopped on the edge of the hole just long enough to show the world he was playing with a Nike ball and then toppled into the hole.

"A win for the ages…”

Nantz is a hugely underrated commentator. And this was another example of him being able to find exactly the right words at the right moment. This was how he heralded the dawning of a new era as Tiger Woods won The Masters in 1997, the first of his 15 majors. In the process he left the field trailing in his wake and broke just about every record in the book

"The bear has come out of hibernation."

Nantz again, this time as the one and only Jack Nicklaus rolled back the years to win The Masters at the grand old age of 46.

"His golfing brain has deserted him. What on earth is he doing?"

Peter Alliss as Jean Van de Velde took off his shoes and socks and entered the Barry Burn during his infamous meltdown on the 72nd hole at The Open in 1999. Needing a six to win, he took seven and lost a playoff to Paul Lawrie.

If like us you have been watching more highlights recently we would love to hear your favourites. Simply comment below!