In a move that’s disappointing for viewers of The Masters, PGA Championship and the approximately 20 golf tournaments aired on its network, CBS will part ways with its funny, sarcastic and outspoken golf analyst David Feherty.  The former pro from Northern Ireland had been with the network for nearly 20 years.  The news was reported by John Ourand of the Sports Business Journal, which said CBS and Feherty couldn’t reach an agreement on his “role in the network’s golf coverage.”  SBJ said last week’s tournament — the Barclays — was Feherty’s last. 

Feherty should have been a divisive television figure, with his demeanor that was decidedly different from the usually staid golf commentary generations grew up with.  He was caustic, he wasn’t afraid to make fun of players and he was far too lighthearted for such an “important” sport. 

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Yet Feherty’s devil-may-care attitude and his distinct personality made him one of the most lovable analysts on TV.  He had carte blanche to say whatever he’d like, almost like a golf Charles Barkley (a compliment which pleased him when I suggested it to him earlier this year).  Feherty is a beloved golf voice and a quick search of Twitter shows how angry people are about the report.  Feherty was every bit as important to CBS’s golf coverage as Jim Nantz or Nick Faldo. 

That’s why it’s hard to imagine Feherty sitting on the sidelines for too long.  Fox is in desperate need of a voice after its U.S. Open debacle, but will he want to go to a network that broadcasts one big event per year?  Feherty already has a relationship with NBC, with his self-titled show on the NBC Sports-owned Golf Channel.  That network airs a handful of events per year, plus the Ryder Cup (which Feherty would be great on) and the Olympics, where golf will make its debut in 2016.  Plus, NBC will regain the major Fox bought away when it starts airing the British Open in 2017.