[CoralReefer]

What do you all think of him? I think he is the worst broadcaster on the air by a clear mile. I find his stories very cheesy/corny and analogies are absolutely terrible. Everytime his opinion his asked he has to try and find some analogy to pull out of his hat. His information is never insightful or informative, but rather generalized and lame. Is he really the bast they have over at the GC? I think the guy needs to write and report for a topic not related to sports. Anyways, there is my 10 cents. I would like to hear your thoughts.

[Boba]

No one here likes him, I personally can't stand his long winded monologues.

[anser99]

I would give him a 7 out of 10, sometimes come across as better than he his. Ttys to hard sometimes. Not as smooth like a legend like Jim Mckay.

[hattrick3518]

i dont like him, but i like him more than rolfing, and miller, johnny miller needs to shut his trap, im about to just watch golf on mute, and i just cant stand hearing rolfing talk, or see his little fish lips!!!

[victor2000]

I agree completely with the comments about Rich Lerner.

Completely disagree with the comments on Mark Rolfing and Johnny Miller. Love both of those guys.

[Simp]

Give me Johnny Miller, Roger Maltbie, Mark Rolfing and Gary McCord ANYDAY!

[jdub123]

He is a great guy in person though.

[texcrom]

He might be a great guy in person, but as a broadcaster he's trying to become Jack Whitaker with Kathy Lee Gifford talent (translated: none).

[rymail00]

I agree totally he his terrible at what he does. He may be a great in person, and I dont doubt that. As a broadcaster he sucks.

My favorite all time is Fehrity,and Macord.

Although the Euro tour announcers are so boring. They make Lerner look like the best broadcaster of all time

[stekoppite]

one word.....................****!!!!

[steverum]

Cant stand the guy. He is not good at anything, interviews or play by play.

I would give him an F+

I just saw a shooting star..................please get Rich Lerner off the Golf Channel........thank you Baby Jesus

[idiotbox]

Really large head.

[mat562]

Lerner is to sports journalism what Robert Mugabe is to Formula 1 driving.

He's an utter fool, with a manner as false as his hair colour. He clearly has an overinflated opinion of both his talent and his journalistic ability and seems to treat every moment of screen time as an opportunity to stroke his ego and set off on some theatrical performance in front of the camera. The bloke's more plastic than the average Barbie doll and whomever gave him his first break into television deserves to be keelhauled for their stupidity.

He's an utter embarassment and why he still graces the screen is a total mystery.

That said, on the utter annoyance scale, he's lagging behing Jimmy Roberts. If I were a competitor in a PGA Tour event and saw a microphone-wielding Roberts approaching, the extent of the 'interview' would be 'if you're not out of my sight within 10 seconds you oily little weasel of a man, you stand a good chance of coming a right cropper. Now sling your hook...'

[JLTD63]

Man...you guys are tough!

I think he's alright...maybe not the best I guess, but I'm glad we have the Golf Channel to keep our addictions running full-force. I'll take the good with the bad.

[Ronzo]

texcrom, on Mar 10 2009, 07:35 PM, said:

He might be a great guy in person, but as a broadcaster he's trying to become Jack Whitaker with Kathy Lee Gifford talent (translated: none).

[Ed McMahon voice] You are correct, sir! [/Ed McMahon voice]

[sksmall]

May as well continue to state the obvious - he's horrible as a golf announcer. Tries WAYYYY too hard to try to make everything dramatic, instead of just letting the golf provide the drama. He also has no gift for timing whatsoever, everything he says sounds like he stayed up all night scripting it. I know lots of announcers do some scripting of what they are talking about, but with Lerner, it's like he's afraid to deviate at all from it. I've seen some interviews especially where the guys want to go one way, and he basically forces them another. The two that stand out to me (and I think I'm remembering correctly, but correct me if I'm wrong) were the ones with Boo and Tadd Fujikawa (sp?). With Boo, it's like he was determined to get him to say something 'quotable', instead of just asking questions. And I think he was the one that asked Tadd about his dad going to prison as soon as he walked off 18, basically. Just a horrible journalist, in my opinion.

[theelvis510]

Rich Lerner is the sole reason I don't watch anything but golf on TGC.

[Mward2002]

Awful announcer. Is he trying to give an emmy winning monologue in every segment he does? God help us now that Tiger's back

[rymail00]

sksmall, on Mar 11 2009, 10:55 AM, said:

May as well continue to state the obvious - he's horrible as a golf announcer. Tries WAYYYY too hard to try to make everything dramatic, instead of just letting the golf provide the drama. He also has no gift for timing whatsoever, everything he says sounds like he stayed up all night scripting it. I know lots of announcers do some scripting of what they are talking about, but with Lerner, it's like he's afraid to deviate at all from it. I've seen some interviews especially where the guys want to go one way, and he basically forces them another. The two that stand out to me (and I think I'm remembering correctly, but correct me if I'm wrong) were the ones with Boo and Tadd Fujikawa (sp?). With Boo, it's like he was determined to get him to say something 'quotable', instead of just asking questions. And I think he was the one that asked Tadd about his dad going to prison as soon as he walked off 18, basically. Just a horrible journalist, in my opinion.

No you are absoluetly correct! What he did to Boo, asking him about politics! Seriously he it seems he wanted to try and get him to say something stupid, and have it be one of those quick clips of him that they show all the time saying something stupid. And the Tadd thing about his dad, and drugs...Seriously its none of our damn bussiness. Maybe one of the golfers should find something bad that happened to Rich or his family, and ask him about it in a live interview after the 18th hole.

Sorry that last comment by be over the top.

[drpino]

steverum, on Mar 10 2009, 09:58 PM, said:

I just saw a shooting star..................please get Rich Lerner off the Golf Channel........thank you Baby Jesus

i echo majority of the sentiments already expressed in this thread......he's a tosser (at least on air).

[hogans71]

mat562, on Mar 10 2009, 08:06 PM, said:

Lerner is to sports journalism what Robert Mugabe is to Formula 1 driving.

He's an utter fool, with a manner as false as his hair colour. He clearly has an overinflated opinion of both his talent and his journalistic ability and seems to treat every moment of screen time as an opportunity to stroke his ego and set off on some theatrical performance in front of the camera. The bloke's more plastic than the average Barbie doll and whomever gave him his first break into television deserves to be keelhauled for their stupidity.

He's an utter embarassment and why he still graces the screen is a total mystery.

That said, on the utter annoyance scale, he's lagging behing Jimmy Roberts. If I were a competitor in a PGA Tour event and saw a microphone-wielding Roberts approaching, the extent of the 'interview' would be 'if you're not out of my sight within 10 seconds you oily little weasel of a man, you stand a good chance of coming a right cropper. Now sling your hook...'

Agree 100% with what you've said mat-

If for some reason those two were to completely vanish from my television screen I pray you include the king of all blathering idiots- Dan Hicks. I never thought after all these years that someone could actually add nothing to a broadcast, even make them WORSE, but he's succeeded in that capacity. Or failed. Either way its like nails to a chalkboard- unbearable...

[NEVA3PUTT]

IT'S LIKE HE'S TRYING TO WIN AN EMMY EVERY TIME HE GOES OFF ON ONE OF HIS LONG COMMENTARY

[jaskanski]

I think Mr. Lerner needs to change his first name to Dick.

[MrMom]

I said it before I will say it again he is a tool.

And his "Dooo that." He is lame.

GC please read these sack him.

[Eagle006]

Lerner is a buffoon of epic proportions.

A true clown who is so cheesy and irritating it's almost beyond words.

[drpurpell]

Lerner doesn't bother me that much - Feherty and McCord get on my t**** though, as does Johnny Miller. Their annoyingness is only matched on this side of the pond by Steve Beddow and Mark Roe.

[montanza]

Ya, Rich, tell yet another story. But better than Rolfing or Kelly T. Has Rolfing ever played golf? Broke 100? Not a big fan of Jonny M at all , but you got to say he's been there done that.

[palmettoman]

MY worst list:
Lerner - has an overactive Tiger fetish
Jimmy Roberts - agree with earlier comment that he needs to wash his hair
Dan Hicks - I don't even know what to say
Brian Hammons - On TGC tournament coverage a few weeks ago he kept saying Camillo Ve JA GAS (emphasis sp.) in a contrived Spanish accent. Drove me nuts.
Gary McCord - tries TOO hard to be funny

Favs:
Gary Koch
Roger Maltbie
Jim Nantz
Paul Azinger
Kelly Tilghman (Deep manly voice aside, she's easy to look at)

I look forward to the Masters coverage every year. That is the epitomy of golf coverage IMO.

[TigerStrong]

mat562, on Mar 10 2009, 07:06 PM, said:

Lerner is to sports journalism what Robert Mugabe is to Formula 1 driving.

He's an utter fool, with a manner as false as his hair colour. He clearly has an overinflated opinion of both his talent and his journalistic ability and seems to treat every moment of screen time as an opportunity to stroke his ego and set off on some theatrical performance in front of the camera. The bloke's more plastic than the average Barbie doll and whomever gave him his first break into television deserves to be keelhauled for their stupidity.

He's an utter embarassment and why he still graces the screen is a total mystery.

That said, on the utter annoyance scale, he's lagging behing Jimmy Roberts. If I were a competitor in a PGA Tour event and saw a microphone-wielding Roberts approaching, the extent of the 'interview' would be 'if you're not out of my sight within 10 seconds you oily little weasel of a man, you stand a good chance of coming a right cropper. Now sling your hook...'

Just call him a d****e

[Honcho72]

Sorry. I would reply to this post but I just saw the hack on TGC and stabbed myself with a pencil in my righ eye, gotta go lots of blood.

[cpyne]

Could never get past how big his head is, its gotta be at least 22 inches tall. I bet he'd be 5'7" with an average sized head......

[CoralReefer]

NOOOOO.... Richie boy is covering the CA. Just shoot me

[BabyFAcedAssassin]

when rich is on TV i change the channel.

[kejoal11]

I agree. To me it seems like he wants the attention focused on him rather than on golf. Tries to hard and as some have posted already he has this obsession with Tiger!

[engofct]

He is ok, much better than Kelly Tilghman.

He sat in for Vince Cellini last night on The 19th Hole and he was absolutely terrible.

[PlUnKeY tOwN kNiCkS kNaCkS]

All the golf channel announcers are pretty lousy. I wish they fired Tilghman after those racial comments she made about Tiger. It stinks we have to watch the golf channel pga tour events for the next 10 years or something. I wish they just kept the early round coverage on espn or usa like it used to be. Watching PGA tour golf coverage on the golf channel is excrushiating (sorry the spelling) painful!

Long live USA Network and ESPN Golf!

[soberguy16]

montanza, on Mar 11 2009, 08:47 PM, said:

Ya, Rich, tell yet another story. But better than Rolfing or Kelly T. Has Rolfing ever played golf? Broke 100? Not a big fan of Jonny M at all , but you got to say he's been there done that.

Rolfing was supposedly a pretty good college player and tried some professional golf for a few years after college (in asia and europe i believe). i dont mind rolfing, but i agree with eveyone that lerner has to go. so does jimmy roberts. i could care less for gary koch. I dont mind tilghman. I like faldo. Mccord and feherty are generally entertainging. i actually really like johnny miller as he tells it like it like he sees it and isnt scared to bash the pros sometimes. While most pros hate when he points out their errors or bad shots on tv some have come forward (charles howell III) and said johnnys analysis is spot on most of the time. Johnny had criticized Howell for lack of feel in his game and having trouble with controlling distance on wedge shots calling him too mechanical or something like that...Howell admitted that Johnny was 100% correct which is what many Miller haters dont realize. Sure hes wrong sometimes but the guy knows what hes talking about moreso than just about any other announcer out there these days.

[Milo]

When every piece to camera starts out like a eulogy to your best friend you know you're overdoing the bathos. I keep hoping the John Deer driver over Lerner's shoulder will moon the camera just to lighten the mood.

Seems like a decent guy, though.