Friday 30 January 2015 19:13, UK
Sky Sports have made another impressive addition to their golf team with the signing of former PGA Tour professional Gary Christian.
The 43-year-old is looking forward to being an analyst for Sky's PGA Tour coverage after a serious knee injury curtailed his playing career last year.
Gary will be in the Sky studio for 12 tournaments on the US schedule having previously worked for the PGA Tour website, hosting a regular radio show before providing commentary and analysis for their live app.
The Carshalton-born golfer has lived in the United States for over 20 years and attended Auburn University before turning professional in 1998. Gary spent a number of years on the mini tours in the US and won two events in five years on the Web.com Tour before earning his PGA Tour card in 2011 at the age of 40.
He enjoyed an eventful first season in the top tier, missing only eight cuts in 28 events and qualifying for the first event of the FedExCup play-offs - The Barclays - when he played the third round with a certain Tiger Woods at Bethpage.
But after suffering his knee injury after just four events in 2014, Gary has now turned to "plan B" after being unable to continue to chase his dream as a player.
"I’m going to be doing 12 events for Sky over the year. Obviously I’m hoping that things go well and it leads to other opportunities further down the line at Sky Sports," he said.
"It’s a great honour to be coming back home and working for Sky. I’m going to try and enjoy myself and maybe give an insight into the “behind the scenes” stuff on the PGA Tour.
"I had a pretty bad knee injury, so I tried to have “plan B” in action just in case plan A didn’t recover in time."
Hanging in there
Gary looks back fondly on his playing days in the United States, and is proud of his resilience as he worked his way through the ranks to earn his shot on the PGA Tour.
"I was hanging in there for a long time," he added. "I played the mini tours in the US for six years, and a lot of people would have given up in that time. I then played six years on the Web.com Tour and won an event in 2009, but I kind of regressed over the next couple of years.
"But in 2011 I re-dedicated myself and won towards the end of a very consistent year. I finished ninth on the Money List and got my card for the PGA Tour. So to be a rookie at 40 years of age was a pretty big deal. It was a long journey, but there were so many highlights along the way.
It’s a great honour to be coming back home and working for Sky. I’m going to try and enjoy myself.
"I did well in my rookie year, playing 28 tournaments and missing only eight cuts. But unfortunately my short game wasn’t quite good enough. When you’re a PGA Tour player, your weakness will get found out in time.
"I was playing well, and was only a few holes away from a $1.5m year. But I couldn’t quite finish it off, the margins are just razor thin.
"But I had the honour of playing a Saturday round in the FedExCup with Tiger, and what a highlight that was. There I was playing with one of the greatest there’s ever been, and it wasn’t a pro-am! We were both in the top five or six and trying to win the tournament, and it was an amazing experience playing in front of thousands of baying New York fans.
"Tiger was lovely company, I found him very friendly and down to earth and we chatted a lot from the sanctity of the fairway. The memory of day is certainly one I will cherish.
"I also really enjoyed Bethpage, it was the best course I played on the PGA Tour that year. It’s a US Open course and it actually suited my game well. To have played so well over the first two rounds and then get paired with Tiger, it was a memorable week and everything about it was great."
Although Gary's appointment at Sky is his first in mainstream broadcasting, he has solid media experience working with the PGA Tour during his recovery from injury.
Afternoon Tee
"When I was injured, I tried to do as much media stuff as possible while I was in rehab. I managed to get a radio show on PGATour.com called Afternoon Tee – a rather cunning name I came up with there!
"That went on for about a year, and I then did some work with the live app team on the PGA Tour website, so I was able to get comfortable being in front of the camera, on the course and expression my opinions."
So what can we expect from Gary in front of the Sky Sports cameras? "Being English, I like to think I can be informative without feeling like I’m talking down to the viewers. Sometimes, you get a bit too much of that, and it’s something I’m wary of.
"I like to keep it simple; praise the players for good shots, criticise the bad shots and do it in a way that doesn’t come across as arrogant. I like to let my sense of humour come out, which I think will work very nicely on British TV with Sky.
"That’s why I’m so excited to come back over here be comfortable that my sense of humour and my perspective will work a lot better than it might in the US.
"I’ve always enjoyed listening to Ian Baker Finch. I like his style and he’s also got some big achievements on his resume. But he doesn’t ever come across as anything but relaxed.
"But over here, I’m a big fan of Ewen Murray. When you’re watching golf, you just want someone relaxed to nudge you gently through the broadcast and Ewen always does a great job of that.
"From what I’ve seen so far, everyone on the Sky Sports Golf team is excellent, and it’s a nice blend as well. Everyone has their own way of doing things, but it all comes together nicely and makes viewing all the more pleasurable.
"I’ve been fortunate to draw two fantastic events to start with at Sky. Anytime you have Tiger in the field, it naturally cranks up the interest and I’m intrigued to see how he comes back after such a long lay-off."
Is there an "under-the-radar" player who could make a big impression this year?
"Harris English had a great start to his career and he just fizzled out a little bit last year. He’s a very good young American player and he’s got all the tools and a great demeanour. He has excellent mental strength and an incredible game, and I think expectations maybe got a little bit too much for him last year.
"Patrick Reed is not quite under the radar these days, but I'm expecting even bigger things from. If the PGA Tour stats measured confidence, he would be at the top of those rankings for sure!"
Gary Christian will be in the studio for coverage of the Phoenix Open and next week's Farmers Insurance Open, both live on Sky Sports 4 - your home of golf.
