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Jimmy Walker’s CBS interview caught the attention of the golf world on Saturday at RBC Heritage.
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Whenever the history of CBS Golf’s “Walk and Talk” segment is written, Saturday’s interview with Jimmy Walker on RBC Heritage probably won’t be mentioned.
But maybe you should.
Nothing about the former major champion’s interview appearance with CBS at Hilton Head on Saturday came across as a revelation to those watching from home. After a few minutes of perfunctory talk with Jim Nantz and Trevor Immelman, he’s gone. But for those who watched his hour before the tournament coverage, Walker’s decision to appear in the interview scored a big brownie his points.
Some background: Walker got to Hilton Head almost by accident. He’s been playing his season on the PGA Tour with a special exemption for being a top 50 earner in Tour history. Walker is his 50th on that list, and he’s actually his 50th. 59 — but with nine higher-ranked LIV professionals leaving, he got a surprise chance to hack his way back to full tour status.
Walker was playing well on RBC, but when CBS approached him for a Walk-and-Talk interview — enough to earn a spot in Saturday’s final pairing — so he I answered yes and agreed to chat during his walk from the 16th… from the tee box to the fairway.
However, on Saturday, while Walker was driving home, the wheel started coming off. First came an ugly 3-putt bogey at No. 11 that squandered the lead on a suddenly charging Matt Fitzpatrick. At the 14th, his tee shot hit the sleeper beside his putting surface, causing a strange bogey after returning to dry land. The final straw came on the 15th when he threw a 3-iron from a tree into the water, causing an ugly bogey on one of the course’s few true birdie holes.
By the time he finally reached the tee box on the 16th hole, Walker had bogeyed on three of his last five holes and saw his name plummet off the leaderboard in the process. No one can blame him for turning down his CBS interview at his last second. But he didn’t. After hitting his shot once again, Walker put on his CBS earphones and joined in the conversation with Nantz and Immelman.
“Jimmy, the whole crew. TRUE Thank you for coming with me,” Nantz began, but before he could say more, Walker started talking about his tee shot.
“Look up at these guys and hope I’m not in the bush,” he said with a laugh.
“I think the driver has gone too far [on this hole]It makes for the right play, and yes, that’s why I didn’t pick it,” he said again, looking down at the ball resting in a devilish lie in the bushes. “Now I just want something.”
Walker, Nantz and Immelman spent a few minutes talking about his round, the week, and his outlook (“I want to make more birdies,” he said). The conversation was uninspiring, but deeply revealing the candidate’s headspace in the midst of the chaotic stretch.
Finally, Walker returned the headphones, returned to the round, and hit a witty par on the 16th to close out the day with a tie for fourth at 11 under par. But his decision to join Booth wasn’t lost on those in the house who watched him struggle through his five previous halls.
It’s easy to forget that most players have an incentive to say no when it comes to golf TV. But that’s part of why it’s so important, and his idea of a walk-and-talk for CBS that offers a perspective on sports’ most important faces and voices that most fans have never experienced before. , the chorus of players continues to say yes.
In the aftermath of Walker’s interview, it didn’t take long for well-meaning people to praise Walker’s efforts. CBS Sports analyst Trevor Immelman.
“Kudos to him for doing that,” Immelmann tweeted. “Golf is a hard sport and he helped us out when things weren’t going his way. Mad respect from me. I hope he plays well tomorrow.”
It will be the two of us.
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