Johnny Miller has been an icon in the world of golf ever since he shot that final-round 63 to win the U.S. Open at Oakmont in 1973. The former BYU all-American won 24 tournaments on the PGA Tour as well as the British Open and has been inducted into the Golf Hall of Fame. Miller has designed many golf courses, including three in Utah and keeps busy doing corporate outings, but these days is best known for his candid comments as a golf analyst for NBC.
He's never been afraid to speak his mind and he showed that when he recently spoke with the Deseret News on a variety of subjects, including his recent move back to Utah, the possibility of playing competitive golf again and the Ryder Cup, which he covered for NBC.
Question: Can you talk about why you decided to move back to Utah?
Answer: Well, I'm on the (Utah) Junior Golf board, I have the Champions Challenge tournament, I love fly fishing and I have the connections with BYU and the (LDS) church. So I wanted to be here in the summer and fall. But in the winter I go to Pebble Beach where I have a home right on the ocean in a really great spot. I still have a ranch in Napa (California), so between the three places — Napa, Pebble and Salt Lake — it works out ideal for me. I love Utah.
Question: Where is your home in Utah?
Answer: It's in the Olympus Cove area. I live up way high, it's like being in the mountains. It's a phenomenal home. My back yard's a forest. I was planning on buying in Park City, but this home is so much like Park City, being in the mountains. I've never been so close to an airport — it's one stoplight, then 15 minutes to the airport. You can't beat that.
Question: What golf courses do you play in Utah?
Answer: I still like Thanksgiving Point and I'm a member of the (Salt Lake) Country Club, honorary, and plan to get out there occasionally. Thanksgiving Point has a pretty big piece of me and I put a lot of effort into that golf course, so I like to keep track of how it's doing with the Champions Challenge there every year.
Question: What are your favorite courses in Utah?
Answer: I love Jeremy Ranch because I can go fishing while I golf. That stream is so intertwined with the golf course and it has a lot of gambling holes. I just think it's a terrific golf course and (Arnold) Palmer did a heck of a job with it. I like the back nine of the Country Club. I think it's as good as it gets for an old-fashioned course. I like Hobble Creek, especially in the fall, because it's so beautiful there. Of course, I like Entrada, Thanksgiving Point and Stonebridge, the three courses I've done in Utah.
Question: That was pretty exciting about your son, Andy, winning last week on the Buy.com Tour.
Answer: That was awesome. That's really going to change his life. He's been playing so well this year, he's really playing great golf. But now he's got access and has playing privileges the rest of the year and next year.
Question: Where were you when you found out about his victory?
Answer: I was at the Ryder Cup. That was the same Sunday as the Ryder Cup. It was about 2:30 in the morning and my friend couldn't stand it any longer so he woke me up.
Question: What was your analysis of the Ryder Cup, why the United States lost?
Answer: Well, Europe has won three of the past four Ryder Cups and they should have won the one at Brookline. I don't know why Europe is so much better or performs so much better than the U.S. But they make the clutch putts and seem to have camaraderie and a lot more energy. Our guys looked like they had all the energy sucked out of them. They weren't getting pumped up and they weren't excited when things went well for them. They were walking around like zombies as far as I could tell. It was sort of hard to pull for most of the guys. I was pleased with (Scott) Verplank and (David) Toms. But guys like (Stewart) Cink and (Davis) Love . . . I thought Love was pathetic. He looked like he had no energy whatsoever. I always like to pull for people with energy and passion, but it didn't look like (the U.S.) had any passion at all. It looked like they wanted to be somewhere else, at least on the surface.
Question: What did you think about Curtis Strange's strategy of putting his best players toward the bottom for the singles competition and Tiger Woods last?
Answer: The problem putting out your two best players, the No. 1 and 2 players in the world rankings, at the end is that it doesn't really work. Because instead of having those guys make an impact for sure early, they technically, win or lose, have nothing to do with it. Win-wise it would have meant nothing and lose-wise it ended up meaning nothing. That's a killer when that happens. I would think you'd rather put those guys out first, or at least the first few matches. I understand what (Strange) was thinking, but I don't think he did a lot of historical thinking. I think he made a mistake there, I really do.
Question: What about your own golf game, are you playing at all?
Answer: I was driving from California to Utah and in the middle of Nevada and I reached back in my pickup truck to pull a duffel bag over the seat and I tore something in my elbow. It's like tennis elbow so I really haven't been able to practice. It just kills me right at impact. I really haven't played at all, so the Champions Challenge is going to be a lot like last year where I just show up, take a little Advil and grin and bear it and see what happens.
Question: Do you think you'll ever play competitive golf again?
Answer: Part of me wants to do it and part of me says, 'Why?' I made the Hall of Fame and I did what I wanted to accomplish and the only reason I'd want to play now would be if I really wanted to be competitive again. I don't know, I was thinking of playing some (Senior events) sometime this year. The back problem is all better now, but I had that for two years. It just seems like there's always something wrong physically. I'd have to drop everything else — stop announcing, stop doing corporate outings and design work — and basically get back into shape. It's a matter of priorities.
Question: How do you think you'd do on the Senior Tour?
Answer: I'm almost positive if I did that I could be a top-5 money winner, but the years are running out. I'm 55 now. I could probably drive in the Top 10 on the Tour without even practicing. I still hit the ball far and my irons are always good and I've been using that 'claw' putter grip that seems to help the nerves. Part of me knows I could still do something like that, but then again, do I want to focus more on my kids' careers and start my grandkids out with junior golf and all that stuff? That's what will probably win out — my kids and my grandkids.
Question: The Champions Challenge you started is in its fifth year now. Has it met your expectations?
Answer: It's always a struggle for a two-day event on a Monday and a Tuesday for that kind of purse. Imagine having to pay off the pros $400,000-plus in a two-day event. But we've been able to pull it off. It's as healthy as it's been and will be over the next three years with the new sponsors we have. I just hope the weather isn't horrendous with this year's tournament in the middle of October. When I heard about the rain last week, I'm thinking, 'Oh my gosh, what happens if we get that?' Hopefully the galleries will turn out in October. We have a good field and next year we'll probably have a better one. The bottom line is, I'm doing this for the people of Utah, I'm not doing this for me. I'm trying to put on a nice little event and bring some players that people don't see every day. That's what we're trying to pull off.
Question: Is there any chance of getting a player like Phil Mickelson or Tiger Woods at the Champions Challenge sometime in the future?
Answer: Yeah, there is. I talked to Phil at the Ryder Cup and he wants to come and play with his father-in-law (who lives in Sandy), so there's a really good chance of him being there next year or the following year. I need to plan the dates around Tiger's schedule or Phil's. I've also talked to (David) Duval and he'll come. So I'm hoping I can get players like that once a year and not just Senior guys. One of the flavors of the tournament is the family with fathers and sons and that will always be the axis of the tournament. But if we can throw in a couple of Tour players or someone like Annika Sorenstam or Juli Inkster, that's what I'm trying to pull off.
Question: You have four sons who are very successful golfers — what advice do you have for parents wishing to raise a good golfer?
Answer: It's a real commitment. My dad said, "If you want to be successful YOU have to be willing to do it." If your friends want you to go to a movie or hang out or play GameBoy, you have to be willing to say, "Nope, I'm going to the golf course and I'm staying there." Golf requires an amazing amount of time. Guys like (Tom) Kite, who don't have a lot of talent — that's how they did it, by being out on the course from sunup to sundown. The key though is to make it fun for your kids and be very encouraging. The nice thing about golf is that the game will hook the kids and keep them out of trouble. That's the way I grew up, whether it was playing or caddying. I was there all day every day and I chipped and I putted. It's a great way to grow up.
E-mail: sor@desnews.com