Show Notes
Respected sports journalist and author Brian Viner joins Dan Davies to discuss a lifetime spent covering sport, his love affair with golf, and the remarkable characters he's encountered along the way.
From growing up in Southport among some of the world's greatest links courses to interviewing legends such as Arnold Palmer, Seve Ballesteros, George Foreman, Richie Benaud and John McEnroe, Brian shares unforgettable stories from both inside and outside the ropes.
The conversation ranges from following a teenage Seve at Royal Birkdale in 1976, to studying at St Andrews, witnessing Jack Nicklaus's legendary 1986 Masters victory, and pulling off one of the greatest golfing pranks in Open Championship history.
Brian also reflects on golf's biggest personalities, the changing landscape of televised golf, the enduring magic of links golf, and why St Andrews and Southport will always hold a special place in his heart.
Key themes
Growing up in Southport's golfing heartland
Watching Nicklaus, Watson and Seve in the 1970s
Following Seve Ballesteros at Royal Birkdale in 1976
Interviewing Seve in Spain and discussing his views on modern golf
Brian’s legendary St Andrews Open prank
Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and golf's greatest rivalries
Witnessing Nicklaus's 1986 Masters triumph
The art of interviewing sporting legends
The challenges of golf on television
LIV Golf, Rory McIlroy and the future of the game
Why Tom Watson at Turnberry remains one of golf's greatest stories
Brian's favourite courses and golfing happy places
Chapters/timestamps
00:00 Introduction to Brian Viner
02:00 Growing up in Southport's golfing culture
04:30 The Open Championship heroes of the 1970s
07:10 Following Seve Ballesteros at Royal Birkdale in 1976
08:50 Interviewing Seve Ballesteros in Spain
10:20 Seve's ideas for changing golf and his gamesmanship
12:30 The charisma and legacy of Seve
14:45 Why Brian chose St Andrews University
15:45 Playing St Andrews for £15 a year
16:20 The famous Open Championship impersonation prank
20:00 Becoming "David Ridley" at The Open
24:00 The sequel: repeating the prank at Carnoustie
26:00 Interviewing sporting legends for The Independent
27:00 George Foreman, Sugar Ray Leonard and John McEnroe
28:30 Why older sporting greats make the best interviewees
29:30 Collecting answerphone messages from famous commentators
32:00 Arnold Palmer at Bay Hill
35:00 Palmer's impact on The Open Championship
37:00 Understanding golfers through their fathers
38:30 Palmer vs Nicklaus: golf's great rivalry
42:15 Jack Nicklaus and the 1986 Masters
44:00 The greatest unseen shot in Masters history
46:00 Turning down Augusta with Jack Nicklaus
47:00 A date with Jack Nicklaus's daughter
48:00 Golf as a television sport
49:00 LIV Golf, Rory McIlroy and modern golf coverage
52:00 Tom Watson's near-miracle at Turnberry in 2009
56:00 Why following one player reveals golf's true genius
58:00 Lee Trevino and entertaining the galleries
59:15 Royal Birkdale's redesign and preserving golf history
1:01:10 Who Brian wants to win The Open
1:03:30 Brian's golfing happy places
1:04:00 Kington Golf Club and St Andrews
1:05:00 Why links golf is the ultimate golfing experience
1:06:00 Closing thoughts
Links
Brian Viner’s greatest sports interviews
Sounder - Use Code Pod20 for 20% off your next purchase
The Open Championship Official Site
Dan Davies - The Sacred Acre on Substack
Brian Viner links
Website
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