David Feherty was once a pro-golfer, and not a bad one at that, 10 tour wins, $3 million in prize money, captain of the Irish team that won the Dunhill Cup in 1990 and a place on the 1991 European Ryder Cup team that lost to the United States 141/2 to 131/2. Today it is his ability to use the English language rather than 4 iron that allows him the privilege of walking the course with microphone in hand. Sooner or later someone would have to be slightly irreverent about this ancient game, and who better than one of our own.

Bangor Co. Down is one of only four places on the island of Ireland mentioned on the Mappa Mundi the 14th: century map of the known world. It was once a seat of theological learning, an abbey was founded here in 1558 by St Comgall some years after the time of St Patrick. For more than 150 years the Bangor area has provided for the-pleasure of day-trippers and tourists. Charles Dickens took some time from an 1858 lecture tour of Ireland to have a swim at Ballyhome Beach and his example has been followed by countless thousands since. Today Bangor is a pleasant sleepy seaside town, the perfect place to escape the city of Belfast during the hot summer days. Situated on the North Down coast it is within the affluent district known in these parts of the world as the "Gold Coast." Yachts of varying sizes are moored at a generous marina, the perfect place for all forms of recreation including golf. This quaint coastal setting is the former home of one of US sports funniest and completely off the wall characters, ex-golf pro turned commentator, David Feherty.

Born in 1958, Bangor was an easy place to spend a childhood for David and a safe haven of sports of the Feherty family, away from the conflict going on around them. "Growing up in Bangor in the 60's and 70's, it was not like it was Belfast, you could hear the explosions, we just didn't see too many," David had for a time thought about becoming a professional opera singer, until he discovered he had the knack for correctly hitting a golf ball, now he says. "I only sing to punish my kids." Like many adolescents he was unsure of where his career path would lead him. "I never really had any intention of being anything." he told me. "I wanted to figure out something that didn't involve any actual work." He goes on. "Until one day I was in geography class at Bangor Grammar school I was seventeen years old, and I just thought 'I think I'll be a golfer.' They were teaching me the average rainfall in Western Samoa, and I thought, 'Well, that will be useful someday. What the hell am I doing here?' So I left school a little early, and turned pro. I was a 5 handicap at that stage, so it was something of a leap of faith, or maybe a leap of stupidity."

Leaving school so young would have been a cause for concern for many a mother and father, however David's father Billy and mother Vi were somewhat less than discouraging. "My parents were unbelievable, my dad, took a look at me and asked me,' Well is it really what you want to do!' and I told him it really was, so he said 'well then you better do it then.'" In the same breath David told me "Now if my son ever says any thing like that to me I'll..." the threat fading along with its sincerity.

So it was off to the professional tour for the young Feherty, and he did have more than his share of successes winning the Italian and Scottish Open in 1986, plus three further European and five other wins along the way. But over the years his hunger to be consistently number one was beginning to decline and David realized it was the time to stop touring, he retired midseason in 1996 when offered the job at CBS.

The move to the U.S. is a huge step for anyone leaving Ireland and the same was true for Feherty. "I showed up here by chance, and took a real chance on being here, and talk about the dream coming true. I can't believe that people pay me to do this. I wake up every morning and check to make sure I'm still me.

As an ex pro Feherty understands the pressures the player are under when they step up to take a shot, he has been up there sitting atop the leader board, and down with the also rans cut after bad rounds, added to that, his knowledge of the game allows him to fairly accurately predict the type of play or positioning of a shot. His lilting Irish wit coupled with the ability to get away with saying things others couldn't have made him very popular very quickly on the small screen.

It has been a serious stroke of luck for the Bangor man and he will tell you himself when he was asked if he wanted a job working on TV with CBS, he asked how much it paid. When told the amount, he asked straight away if anyone would like to buy his set of golf clubs! His on camera humor is matched by funny stories from players. Like the time he was walking alongside Davis Love III and Lee Janzen during a PGA event, Janzen, mentioned that two unruly fans had been removed earlier in the day and with a grin said to Feherty, "We can just say the word and have you thrown out." To which Feherty replied, "I'm sure you could if you could remember the word." It all has worked out for Feherty and he relishes the challenges his job as golf commentator brings him, "I always enjoyed talking more than playing and now CBS is paying me for what I like to do most."

Through his work he has met the phenomenon that is Tiger Woods and finds him to be not exactly the person we see on our television screens. "He's a remarkable young man. A very ordinary guy for the most part. Obviously he has his guard up a lot on television, and a lot of external pressure from people who will jump all over everything he says. But behind the scenes he tells his dirty jokes, and while he doesn't drink beer he is fond a wee 'see through' every now and then." Feherty played with Tiger in an exhibition skins game to raise money for Shriner Hospital for sick children two years ago, along with Curtis Strange, and Justin Leonard, Curtis Strange is involved in the charity and had his pick of the partners, he picked David, which in Feherty's mind, "Is a bad indication for the Ryder Cup."

When asked about playing or watching other sports like football or basketball his reply is, "No, I mean I don't even play golf." He does however enjoy Ice Hockey, "It's my favorite and I have a bunch of friends who are on the teams that I know through golf." The NFL he doesn't care for however. "I would be much more interested in football if they had a two point penalty for gloating. A guy makes a tackle and jumps around like a chicken. That's like me doing an interview jumping up and down on camera high fiving people. These guys are doing their job, they should act like they have done it before."

He still loves the game that pays his salary and though he only gets to play socially about once a month, he does try to turn out as often as possible for charity events when his time allows. Feherty is kept busy, as well as his TV work he is also an author, currently writing the Sidespin column for Golf Magazine and a column for Golfonline.com, and has just finished his first novel, the hilariously zany A Nasty Bit of Rotlgh.

Returning to Ireland in the future is no longer an option for Feherty, he is a settled family man, happily married with five children and living in Dallas. The better half of the team, his wife Anita he met on a blind date in 1995. He showed up that first night somewhat the worse for wear, having over imbibed in the hours before, but the Down man steadied himself, his charm did not fail him, and the couple were married ten months later. He does try to get to Ireland once a year but wouldn't consider moving back on a permanent basis. "I would never go back to live I'll stay in America for as long as I am breathing, but I would love to go back to the North West and maybe have a place to go to in Done gal. I do miss the people. I miss the people more than the place." When the pressures associated with the job begin to get him down Feherty often thinks of Ireland, its beauty and the ease of pace. "There are places in Ireland that I long for, places I fell in love with when I was a kid. There are parts of Ireland that sometimes I just wish, God I wish I was there for just a couple of days."·