Less than a week into the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, many of the millions of viewers tuning into coverage of the Games across the networks of NBCUniversal have become familiar with the unconventional and often unpredictable personality of NBC Sports' David Feherty. A figure whom golf television fans have embraced for more than 20 years, Olympic viewers are getting to know FEHERTY through his appearances as an NBC correspondent in Rio, highlighted by his exclusive interview with current U.S. President Barack Obama which aired in part during NBC's coverage of the Opening Ceremony last Friday. While FEHERTY has offered opinions on several of the sports being contested in the Rio Games, he'll be a central figure throughout Golf Channel's live coverage of the men's golf competition (August 11-14) which begins tomorrow (6:30 a.m. ET), as the sport makes its return as an Olympic sport for the first time in more than 100 years.
Fittingly, when the Olympic Games come to a conclusion in 11 days, the former professional golfer's self-titled
FEHERTY interview series - in its sixth season on
Golf Channel - will gear up for its Fall run on Tuesday nights, as
FEHERTY returns with 27-time Emmy Award-winning
NBC Sports host Bob Costas, on Tuesday, August 23 at 10 p.m. ET. Other upcoming guests on
FEHERTY include legendary baseball play-by-play voice Bob Uecker (Tuesday, August 30), Pro Football Hall-of-Famers Emmitt Smith (Tuesday, September 6) and Cris Carter (Tuesday, September 13), and 2014 European-winning Ryder Cup team captain Paul McGinley (Tuesday, September 20).
Bob Costas - Tuesday, August 23 at 10 p.m. ET
Costas reflects on a career in sports television, stemming from his early aspirations as a teenager dreaming of one day working as a baseball play-by-play radio host, thanks in large part to his father - a compulsive sports gambler - whose influence helped shape the younger Costas' love for sports in an uncharacteristic, roundabout way. The New York-native also talks about what makes a great interviewer; how it felt to eulogize his childhood sporting hero, Mickey Mantle; having the privilege of introducing Ray Charles to Vin Scully; recalling the awkward trophy ceremony with Webb Simpson at the 2012 U.S. Open; what makes the Olympics unique, and some of his favorite moments over the course of his time serving as NBC's primetime host for a record 11 Olympic Games.
Bob Uecker - Tuesday, August 30 at 10 p.m. ET
Appearing more than 100 times as a guest on The Tonight Show, Uecker was given the nickname of "Mr. Baseball" by Johnny Carson, and to this day stands as one of the most adorned baseball broadcasters of all time. Uecker's visit with
FEHERTY in Arizona helps showcase the 45-year veteran broadcaster's mastery in storytelling, and knack for making people laugh while not taking himself too seriously. He also recalls negotiating his first Major League contract before the days of agents and shares his pride for never unfairly criticizing players.
Emmitt Smith - Tuesday, September 6 at 10 p.m. ET
Smith, the Pro Football Hall of Fame running back, visits with
FEHERTY to talk about his years transitioning into retirement from the NFL. The three-time
SUPER BOWL champion talks about finding motivation in new areas of
LIFE AFTER football, including the series of businesses he's involved in, from real estate to construction to his charitable endeavors. Smith also discusses the advent of social media, and how athletes often remain the product of the background in which they're raised in.
Cris Carter - Tuesday, September 13 at 10 p.m. ET
A Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver, Carter describes how his work ethic helped shape him into an eventual Hall of Famer, through his love for the process and willingness to put in the work beyond just game day on Sundays. Carter also opens up about overcoming his trying upbringing, his battle with alcoholism and drug addiction, and gaining perspective and clarity to escape from his difficult past. He also talks about his passion for golf and the life lessons it embodies, along with his admiration for Jack Nicklaus as a player, a businessman and how he carries himself as a human being.
Paul McGinley - Tuesday, September 20 at 10 p.m. ET
A four-time European Tour winner, McGinley reflects on the two-year journey as the 2014 European Ryder Cup captain. He also discusses the competitive and athletic influence of his father, a former Gaelic football player in Ireland, and how the end of his own Gaelic football playing career paved the way for a successful career in professional golf. McGinley also recounts how he met his wife Allison while both were attending college in San Diego - where both would become three-time All-Americans in golf - and looks back on the strange circumstance that led to him conceding an 18th hole putt to J.J. Henry at the 2006 Ryder Cup.
Season six of
FEHERTY continues to carry momentum, beginning with the two-part season premiere featuring then World No. 1 Jordan Spieth earlier this year. The premiere of Part I drew 325,000 avg. viewers per minute on a Live+Same Day basis, and the Part II premiere saw 351,000 avg. viewers,
BECOMING the second and third most-watched
FEHERTY premieres in the history of the series (2011-'16, trailing only the series premiere with guest Lee Trevino coming off U.S. Open week in 2011 - 368,000 avg. viewers).
Described as "the last unscripted man on TV," by Men's Journal and as "golf's wisecracking, maverick interviewer" by Esquire,
FEHERTY has made a name for himself not only through his self-titled
Golf Channel talk show, but as one of the most irrepressible personalities calling golf over the past two decades. A native of Northern Ireland and a former professional golfer who claimed 10 worldwide victories and a spot on the 1991 European Ryder Cup Team,
FEHERTY is now a proud American citizen who has risen above a history of alcoholism and addiction to become an Emmy-nominated television host, New York Times best-selling author and comedic relief for thousands of men and women in uniform.
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