The Loop
Could Johnny Miller crash the booth at the U.S. Open this year?
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- For the first time in 21 years, fans watching the U.S. Open on TV won't hear Johnny Miller. At least, that's the plan with Fox taking over coverage of the event this year from NBC.
Miller will be at Chambers Bay that weekend, though, making appearances for tournament sponsor Lexus. Might he crash the booth?
"I might go by and say hi to those guys," the two-time major champ said.
"They might want you in there," Miller's longtime partner in the booth, Dan Hicks, added.
Both Miller and Hicks, who are covering the Players this week, acknowledge it will be surreal not working that week. But Hicks is also excited to have Father's Day off.
"I can't wait for Sunday at the U.S. Open. My first daughter was born in 1997 and I did my first U.S. Open in 1995. So it's going to be an incredible experience to be home for the first time," said Hicks, who plans to play golf in the morning and then hang out with his daughters and watch golf in the afternoon. "I'll have an empty pit in my stomach, but I'm looking forward to watching from a totally different perspective."
Miller admitted he'll be "screwing up Father's Day again." He said he's rooting for Fox to succeed -- he knew about the network's technical difficulties during the U.S. Four-Ball -- but conceded he'll be jealous of the guys in the booth.
"I'm going to be saying, 'Hey! We're supposed to be doing that!'" Miller laughed and added, "It was a good run, though."