What drove David Feherty to LIV Golf? Not just the money, he says

It wasn’t just players who left the PGA Tour for LIV Golf. Some broadcasters went, too.

One of the most noteworthy acquisitions for the Saudi-backed league was David Feherty, a seasoned broadcaster who previously worked for both CBS and NBC.

In August 2022, Feherty caused a stir by expressing his disdain for the reasons given by LIV defectors regarding “growing the game” and playing a “lighter schedule.” He referred to these talking points as “nonsense” during an interview with The Toledo Blade.

“Money,” Feherty said then for the reason he left NBC for LIV. “People don’t talk about it. I hear, ‘Well, it’s to grow the game.’ Bulls—. They paid me a lot of money.”

But in the debut episode of GOLF Originals with Michael Bamberger, Feherty paints a more nuanced picture of why he left his home with a PGA Tour broadcast partner.

“Money was one of the main motivators, but it was also the opportunity to be a lead analyst,” Feherty told Bamberger. “That meant a great deal to me.”

Feherty served as an on-course reporter for CBS Sports and later NBC Sports from 1997 until 2022, when he left for LIV.

“He joins play-by-play announcer Arlo White and fellow analyst Jerry Foltz in the main broadcast booth when working with LIV.”

I dedicated two decades to being on the course,” stated Feherty. “I also spent many years in broadcasting booths and satellite towers. However, being given the chance to sit at 18 and fulfill a role similar to Paul Azinger or Nick Faldo was incredibly meaningful to me.

It was a great honor that someone recognized my abilities and trusted me to take on that responsibility.” Feherty expressed his love for the change in his role, but admitted that it still makes him anxious.

He likened being on television to the two-hour stand-up comedy performances he has conducted while on tour across the country.

“I feel scared every time I perform in front of an audience,” he stated. “However, I have to remember that I willingly take on this responsibility.

I must challenge myself to step out of my comfort zone. This feeling is consistent every time I enter the studio at the age of 18.”

“I experience a similar emptiness, where I entertain the thought that today might be the day I mess up. However, I am determined not to let that happen.”

To see more of Feherty, including his one regret from his Golf Channel show, check out the entire first episode of GOLF Originals with Michael Bamberger.