As Johnson Wagner made his way to Startdom of Golf

All quiet in green of the 18th

Two hours after Bryson Dechambeau won US Open In Pinehurst last June, I found him staying in the darkness of the bunker that progresses 18th green, adjacent to the most beloved reenactor of the Golf world, Johnson Wagner.

I was one of perhaps two dozen people who were witnesses of high water of Wagner’s transmission career, a sand stuck up to three feet shot from the same place where Dechambeau had recorded the goal of his Life just hours ago. In many ways it was THAT shot – and not pronounced wrapping of Shanks, flubs and pieces This preceded what – which brought out the latest Golf Channel content series, highlighting the biggest Tiger Woods shots from his historic 2000 run.

The new series, which will run at the Golf Central during this week’s Hareist championship, offers a brief appearance on the growing star of Wagner as a Golf everyman TV, taking it to four premises in Sh.BA and Canada, where he will try to repeat some of Woods’ most historic shooting.

“(Golf Channel EP Matt Hegarty) was like,” How would you feel to travel around and recreate some of Tiger’s best shooting? “And I was like, ‘Can we start in Maui and St. Andrews?’ , ”Wagner said with laughing. “He said,” No, we have two weeks. “And so we were out.”

Wagner’s television career has seen a steady rise from its humble beginnings as a golf channel filling, but in many ways the former project is a perfect adaptation for the future Golf Channel’s load, which was the subject of golf conversation with the man (who first took place in yesterday Hot Mic Bulletin; You can sign up below.)

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My fault

Wagner has been just a side character in the wider Golf television machinations over the past 12 months, but his famous mustache brand has seen a marked increase in status. Cause? Wagner’s air repairs to the biggest, more challenging and weaker shooting than death by the greatest golf events-and his affinity for complete disaster while making them.

“People will stop me and they are like,” I love what you are doing. You’re like, you are doing a lot of great things for golf and thank you a lot, “Wagner said, sounding somewhat extraordinary.” I continue to tell people, I wish people would have wanted to look at me in the skull, duff and chips back when I played, because I would have had many more people who followed me. “

Wagner, who played for a dozen years in PGA Tour and recorded three wins, knows better than watching a gift horse in his mouth. This reaction, after all, was what he was looking for when he began to crush his agent to pursue a broadcast at the end of his play career.

Wagner always realized that he would be a good fit on Golf TV, where big personalities and Nerdy conversations go side by side. As his game career crashed, he was encouraged by the former Broadcaster Loyer Peter Jacobsenwhich saw Wagner’s flat nature as a natural adaptation to Golf-TV air waves.

While Wagner demanded his first concert in the media business, he stuck in a round of Golf with Siriusxm’s Taylor Zarzour, who offered to help Wagner take his foot in the new PGA Tour Operation, PGA Tour Live.

starting

After a strong performance like filling in PGA Tour Live turned heads, Wagner received a call from a friend a golf channel: would he like to complete theyAlso? For a long time, Wagner received a full -time offer from the network, serving as an analyst in a variety of Golf Channel studio shows.

His facial hair immediately gained that chair announcement on Golf Channel; His reputation as an impatient analyst of the occasion of the case of flaming or harsh criticism followed soon afterwards. An apparent example came after the PGA Tour/PIF agreement. Soliloquy in the air of Wagner criticizing the treatment of the tournament situation came out viral, and reflected the type of spine in the air that has served them well … even if his criticism is not always well taken.

“I don’t want to say anything I wouldn’t say directly on a person’s face,” Wagner says. “If I offend someone, it doesn’t mean doing it. I just get paid to talk about golf, and sometimes the way I feel about something is offensive.”

‘Dishveled’

Thankfully, most of the golf world enjoy seeing Wagner. Clear analysis can pay his controls, but his regeneration in the air has made him a famous character.

Tradition began as a happy accident in the player championship last year, when Wagner was sent to the field to provide Earth tests at the most pressing moments of the day. He began the task with a renewal of a complex Xander Schauffle chip. Wagner was not warmed, and the resulting blow was a rocket with socks. After the segment was over, its manufacturer, Andrew Bradley, fell into an existential spiral.

“Andrew was disappointed,” Wagner says with a rage. “He was like,” man, I really wanted you to hit good shots. I hope you don’t be crushed for this on social media. “”

By the time they returned to the hotel, however, something had changed.

“He said,” You have to sign up now, because it’s all positive, “says Wagner.” At that moment, we knew we had something special. If I hit a good blow, people enjoy it, but if I hit a bad blow, they enjoy it more. “

worm

Wagner is quick to emphasize that he does not try to hit weak shots. But thankfully his check also does not depend on him hitting the good.

“I think sometimes you see some of these shots with short games executed in a big championship and wonder,” What could I do from there? , ”Says Wagner. “And then, Boom, I go out on the screen, and I’m like, ‘hey, I’ll try to hit a tight, strong, stroke I have ever seen, and make this bunker with rotation.” “

This is the secret sauce for Wagner – and has nothing to do with the difficulty of its purpose or potential by deceiving it. What Wagner shares is not his humanity, but his willingness to show him.

“When you go wrong, people returning home can connect with him,” he says. “They feel like I’m about their experience.”