Johnny Miller will call his final broadcast next Saturday (Feb. 2) during NBC Sports’ live third round coverage of the Waste Management Phoenix Open, following nearly 30 years spent as the network’s lead golf analyst. The broadcast will celebrate Miller’s three decades in the 18th tower through special tributes and reflections during third round coverage from the Stadium Course at TPC Scottsdale in Arizona.
“Johnny Miller has been a fixture in television for generations of golf fans, with his pointed, unfiltered approach and commitment to always calling it like he sees it for the viewer at home,” said Tommy Roy, lead golf producer, NBC Sports. “Sundays on the PGA TOUR are all about crowning a deserving champion, so we’ll offer our reflections and gratitude to Johnny during Saturday’s third round coverage, as we celebrate his revered broadcast career.”
For Miller – a World Golf Hall of Fame member – the event is a fitting one to mark his final broadcast, as a two-time winner of the tournament in 1974-’75, helping to earn him the “Desert Fox” nickname for his success on “desert-style” courses over the course of his playing career.
NBC Sports’ plans to celebrate Miller’s career during Saturday’s third round coverage will center around dedicated tributes, reflections and other elements, including:
- Anecdotes from PGA TOUR players (past and present) offering perspective on Miller’s impact on the sport and how it’s covered on television.
- Reflections on Miller from fellow sports broadcasters across the industry.
- A “thanks for the memories”-style tribute from other NBCUniversal personalities.
- A special acknowledgment from Dan Hicks, Miller’s broadcast partner since 2000, on the symbolism of the Waste Management Phoenix Open being the analyst’s final broadcast.
- Retrospective elements from Miller’s broadcast career, including memorable sequences, occasional divisive moments, and other highlights over the past 29 years.
Next week will represent the 20th consecutive (and final) year of Miller and Hicks sitting alongside one another in the broadcast booth, a record for the longest-tenured 18th tower tandem in broadcast golf. NBC Sports Group will carry nearly 20 live hours of tournament coverage from the Waste Management Phoenix Open, Thursday-Sunday, Jan. 31-Feb. 3. During Sunday’s final round broadcast on NBC, the network’s new lead analyst Paul Azinger will join Hicks during the closing stretch of the event, before making his official debut at the WGC-Mexico Championship (Feb. 21-24), where he’ll call all four days of coverage.
Waste Management Phoenix Open Airtimes (Eastern):
Thursday, Jan. 31 3-7 p.m. (Live) GOLF Channel
Friday, Feb. 1 3-7 p.m. (Live) GOLF Channel
Saturday, Feb. 2 1-3 p.m. (Live) GOLF Channel
3-6 p.m. (Live) NBC
Sunday, Feb. 3 1-3 p.m. (Live) GOLF Channel
3-6 p.m. (Live) NBC
Miller was named lead analyst of NBC Sports’ golf broadcast team in 1990 and quickly made his mark as the game’s most candid commentator, calling some of golf’s most memorable shots for the past three decades. Garnering eight Emmy nominations for “Outstanding Sports Personality – Sports Event Analyst,” Miller’s insight and frank approach have earned him both critical praise and viewer appreciation, as well as the respect and occasional raised eyebrow from those competing inside the ropes.
HIGHLIGHTS OF MILLER’S GOLF ACCOMPLISHMENTS:
- Golf Career:
- World Golf Hall of Fame, inducted 1998
- 1973 U.S. Open: Miller shot a 63 in the final round at Oakmont Country Club to win. This was the lowest round to win a major championship until it was tied by Henrik Stenson at The Open in 2016.
- 1976 Open Championship: Miller beat Seve Ballesteros and Jack Nicklaus at Royal Birkdale en route to being named “Champion Golfer of the Year”
- 25-time PGA TOUR winner
- 1974 Player of the Year
- U.S. Ryder Cup wins in 1975, 1981
- Three-time World Cup participant, winning in 1973, ‘75
- Two-time All-American at Brigham Young University (1967-’68)
- Gold Tee Award from the Metropolitan Golf Writers Association (1996)
- Jack Nicklaus Golf Family of the Year Award, National Golf Foundation (1997)
- Northern California Golf Association Hall of Fame inductee (2013)
- Ambassador of Golf Award, Northern Ohio Golf Charities (2014)
- Memorial Tournament Honoree (2016)
- Golf Broadcast Career:
- 29 PLAYERS Championships
- 20 U.S. Opens
- 14 Ryder Cups
- 9 Presidents Cups
- 3 Open Championships
- 2016 Rio Olympics
- First event: Bob Hope Desert Classic (January 18-21, 1990)
- Farewell event: Waste Management Phoenix Open, Jan. 31-Feb. 3, 2019. Miller won the Phoenix Open in back-to-back years in 1974-‘75.
- Eight-time Emmy Award nominee for “Outstanding Sports Personality – Sports Event Analyst”
- In 2019, 20 consecutive years Miller has sat next to Dan Hicks, NBC Sports play-by-play host, together sharing the record for the longest-tenured 18th tower tandem in broadcast golf.
- Prior to Hicks, Miller’s previous broadcast partners included Bryant Gumbel, Charlie Jones, Jim Lampley and Dick Enberg.
- Biographical Information:
- Born and raised in San Francisco, resides in Utah
- Turned professional in 1969 after graduating from Brigham Young University
- Married to Linda Miller on Sept. 17, 1969.
- 6 children, 24 grandchildren
- Has contributed to the design of more than 30 golf courses, including Silverado Country Club in Napa, Calif., host of the PGA TOUR’s Safeway Open. Miller also serves as the event’s tournament host.
-NBC Sports Group-