Quotage From TNT’s Coverage of PGA Championship, Final Round

I wasn’t able to post this earlier as I was playing chauffeur, but I want to give props again to Turner Sports for sending this out right as TNT was signing off its coverage of the PGA Championship. Tremendous.

Notes from TNT’s Coverage of the PGA Championship from Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wis. – Final Round – Sunday, August 15, 2010

Announcers: Ernie Johnson, Ian Baker-Finch, Billy Kratzert and Jim Huber

Baker-Finch on Tom Lehman using a wedge to putt a shot close to the hole from the fringe: “well done, if you try and chip those you can look like an idiot very easily.”

Johnson on the virtual map showing Wisconsin and zooming in on Whistling Straits: “There’s Milwaukee. I was born there Kratz (Kratzert), I wonder if they could zoom in to North 68th Street.”

Kratzert on the play of Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson: “Every round he’s (Mickelson) struggling to make par. He is working too hard…I watch Tiger and I watch Phil, these guys are struggling. This is as soft as this golf course is going to play and the guys who are playing well are taking advantage of it. The #1 and #2 players in the world, they’re just not playing well.”

Kratzert on Woods’ poor play this year: “This year we’ve been robbed of the ‘Tiger Moments’, frankly because he hasn’t played well and there haven’t been many.”

Baker-Finch on the leaderboard featuring a slew of golfers in their 20’s:  “We’re seeing a little bit of the changing of the guard, with the young guys coming… It’s the guys on that leaderboard that we’ll be seeing for the next 10 years. Previously we’ve seen (Retief) Goosen, (Jim) Furyk, Tiger (Woods), (Phil) Mickelson and (Ernie) Els.”

Baker-Finch on Tiger Woods terrific iron play: “Best iron player in the game; works the ball better than anyone else….and he hits his nine iron while others are hitting five irons and four irons.”

Kratzert on Woods second shot from the bunker on hole #5, which he successfully hit 5 Wood on in Round 3: “If he takes the 5 Wood out here and gets it anywhere near the green I’m walking out of here and walking all the way out there and shaking his hand.”

Johnson sarcastically: “That’ll make his day.”

Johnson following errant shots by Tim Clark and Tiger Woods into/near the grandstands at #6: “They are putting on a clinic on how not to play the sixth hold…bouncing around like a pinball at #6.”

Baker-Finch on the wind conditions being a reason for the leaders to watch the early round TV coverage: “If I was getting ready to play this afternoon I’d be watching this show just to get as much as I could from the early starters.”

Kratzert after a fan yelled ‘Mashed Potatoes’ during Woods’ tee shot on the 9th: “What does that mean?”

Johnson: “I know what it should mean, ‘thanks for coming, see you later, here’s the gate.'”

And that does it for the Turner Sports PGA Championship press releases. I’m sure we’ll CBS Sports PGA Championship press releases on Monday.