CBS is 2-for-2 with its mic’d-up player segments.
Max Homa went first at the Farmers Insurance Open and he knocked it out of the park. The cherry on top was when he went on to win the tournament.
“Max sets the bar so high. He’s got one of the biggest personalities in the game of golf. He just gets it,” said Colt Knost of CBS Golf. “And so what he did, I think it shows golfers they can be normal dudes and still go out there and compete and be competitive and it’s not going to affect their play.”
Last week at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, Keith Mitchell took a turn during Sunday’s coverage and he was solid, too.
The live walking and talking mic’d up in-competition segments have gotten rave reviews from fans and the plan is for CBS to continue doing these.
There’s a bit of negotiation that goes on between the TV network and the potential golfers. Many are showing interest.
“I think they’ve been great. So I think Max was really insightful in Torrey Pines and Keith Mitchell last week at Pebble. I thought they were very good,” Rory McIlroy said ahead of the WM Phoenix Open. “It’s very unobtrusive; you just put an AirPod in your ear and just have a chat with the guys in the studio.”
So would he sign up to be next?
“It would take a little bit of convincing for me, but I’d certainly be open to it. But given the last couple of weeks and how well I think it’s been received, I’d certainly be open to it.”
Scottie Scheffler said he was asked to do it on the Korn Ferry Tour but declined.
“I usually try to do my best to stay in the moment and kind of forget about everything else that’s going on around me, so that would be something I’d have to really think about, which I haven’t done yet, but maybe I will more in the future. I haven’t been approached yet, so I haven’t really had to think about it,” he said.
Count Patrick Cantlay among those not interested.
“Probably not something for me, but I think it’s great that those guys who want to do it are able to give those insights while they’re out there playing,” he said.
So far, names have been revealed day of, a few hours before the segments. If the pattern holds, we’ll find out Saturday when CBS is on the air at TPC Scottsdale if we’ll get a third installment.
So who might be great at it?
When asked by Golfweek to tell us, as a fan, who he’d like to see wear the mic, Knost spoke of a few golfers in particular.
“I think Joel Dahmen would be fantastic. He’s hilarious. Him and his caddie’s interactions are great,” he said.
“I think it’d be cool to see with Jon Rahm, one of the best players in the world who’s also known for his fiery attitude and I think we’d see a different side of Jon Rahm, having him mic’d up.
“Jordan Spieth, he takes you through every shot whether he’s mic’d up or not. You can hear him and his caddie Michael Greller go at it. Jordan Spieth would be awesome.
“Those are three off the top of my head that I’d be very interested in seeing.”
Then another name popped into Knost’s head.
“Harry Higgs is obviously Harry Higgs. He’s hilarious, people love him, he’d be great at it.”
It’s a no-brainer why these peel-back-the-curtain moments have been so successful.
“All the guys, for them to think out loud and let the viewer hear what goes on and, you know, what happens when you’re not hitting a shot, that three, four-minute walk from your tee shot. I don’t think the people at home know what goes on during that time, are the players talking, is it quiet, are they talking about golf, are they talking about other things? Just to let the viewer in, I think it’s so cool and makes people want to watch the game of golf even more.”
