Busy Faxon delivers for Fox Sports broadcast

Brad Faxon on Tuesday said he’d hardly had time to breathe in the 48 hours between Sunday’s final round of the U.S. Open and his first walk around Del Paso Country Club in Sacramento, Calif., where this week he’ll be part of Fox Sports’ coverage of the Senior U.S. Open. So no, he had not had time to assess his work, and Fox’s, at Chambers Bay.

The former PGA Tour veteran and Furman graduate might be the only person in media who hasn’t.

Jordan Spieth had hardly finished kissing the Open trophy he won by a shot over Dustin Johnson when critics opened fire. Who took more broadsides – Fox, the USGA or the shaggy-looking, treacherous Chambers Bay course – is debatable, but the network’s inaugural venture into big-time golf drew some scathing reviews.

Social media was especially cruel, but that’s its nature. More nuanced was the New York Times, which recounted numerous “unforced errors” in “Fox’s poor debut” involving anchors Joe Buck and Greg Norman, host Curt Menefee, camera shots (or lack thereof) and even the network’s graphics and technical innovations.

“Without much experience (covering golf) ... Fox was bound to encounter problems,” the Times review stated.

Faxon agreed, somewhat – “it was natural we were going to have some faults, and everyone was looking for those, so they were going to find some” – but he also pointed out that Fox aired perhaps the most dramatic Open finish since Phil Mickelson’s “I’m an idiot” meltdown at Winged Foot in 2006.

“I think the broadcast was amazing, and I was so excited because (the action) was so compelling,” Faxon said. “You had Spieth, everyone’s favorite; the collapse of Dustin Johnson; the charges of (Rory) McIlroy and Adam Scott” and Louis Oosthuizen, who tied Johnson for runner-up. “You had everything you could want in a final round.

“The pictures were tremendous, and I thought for a rookie team that’s not been together long, we played off each other well. Yes, there were glitches here and there, but the ratings were high and the president at Fox was thrilled.” Of Norman’s critics, he said, “(NBC icon Johnny) Miller wasn’t the best when he did his first Open, that’s for sure.”

And, Faxon said, there was this: “Did you not want to watch?”

No. Warts and all, it was must-see golf.

Interestingly, while his teammates were being panned, Faxon did nothing but burnish his on-air resume. “(Fox’s) role for Brad Faxon, who has significant potential as a commentator and as a foil to Norman, was too limited,” the Times wrote.

One of the more thoughtful and insightful players during his PGA Tour career, Faxon carried those qualities into the booth. In 2010, he covered golf for NBC, working the U.S. Open, and more recently, he’s been a studio analyst for Golf Channel.

“Last year, I did (GC’s) ‘Live from …’ at the Masters, the Open, the Players,” he said. “And I worked (in studio) with (the opinionated Brandel) Chamblee and (Frank) Nobilo – which,” he said with a chuckle, “can be very difficult.”

He can handle that, though, and that didn’t change at the Open, where he firmly offered opinions even when they went counter to those of Fox’s stars. When Menefee, a golf neophyte, called Spieth a consistent player who “doesn’t do anything great,” Faxon disagreed: “He’s one of the best at every facet of the game.”

The Rhode Island native also took on Chambers Bay critics Billy Horschel and Ian Poulter. “You’re whining about these greens being bad when everybody has to play those same greens,” he told a radio station. “The greens weren’t perfect (but) you didn’t hear Jordan Spieth saying, ‘These greens are bad.’ … I think you just kind of need to shut up.”

For all that, Faxon late Sunday found himself in an odd situation, when Menefee, Norman, Tom Weiskopf and Faxon gathered to discuss Johnson’s final-hole disaster. Rather than query Norman – who has a well-documented history of majors failures – Menefee pitched the first question to Faxon, who cited Johnson’s putting woes.

“Dustin absolutely should’ve won,” he said. “His putting numbers were middle of the field all week, until the last nine holes.” Johnson finished 62nd out of 76 in putting. “He was in good enough position that he could’ve walked away with it.”

Faxon said getting that question ahead of Norman likely was a logistical consideration.

“You’ve got to realize, we were in three different places (on the course) 10 minutes before” the post-game wrap-up, he said. “We’re hustling to get into our suits, (and) Greg was the last guy” to arrive on set.

“Curt looked at me; I think maybe he didn’t want to hit Greg with that so quickly. But Greg’s a bigger name, he’s the expert.”

If so, Faxon appears not far behind. With a three-year Fox contract, plus his Golf Channel work, he can see himself doing TV for a long time. “I love it,” he said. “I hope to get better. I have a passion for it, love talking about golf.”

He believes he’s in touch with viewers: “(PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem) said something that makes sense. He said, ‘A spectator at home doesn’t care if you (players) don’t like a golf course.’ The average guy is sitting there, watching the U.S. Open.”

Last weekend, that experience was as good as Faxon could make it.