Providing sports enthusiasts with a new outlet for irreverent entertainment content amidst the current void of live sports programming, GOLF Channel has launched Feherty Up Close (From a Distance), a new short-form take on the Emmy-nominated original series Feherty. Featuring brief, topical interviews with sports and entertainment guests joining David Feherty remotely via video conference, episodes of Feherty Up Close (From a Distance) are now available for fans to watch on GOLF Channel’s YouTube page, led by a new interview with NBC Sports host Mike Tirico (part I and part II).
“I’m not one to embrace long stretches of idle time with nothing to do other than binge-watch Live PD, so I wanted to offset my extreme boredom by seeing how others were coping,” said Feherty. “People have made a habit of distancing themselves from me for decades, but hopefully these quick conversations can fill some small entertainment void for fans while we wait for some sense of normality to return.”
Feherty’s short-form interviews are utilizing a remote production model, including two initial interviews conducted with college basketball analyst Jay Bilas and award-winning actor Michael Peña. During the current suspension of professional tournaments, GOLF Channel’s Feherty Up Close (From a Distance) will add new interviews weekly.
Upcoming episodes of Feherty Up Close (From a Distance) are scheduled to feature the following guests:
- Padraig Harrington – 2020 European Ryder Cup team captain
- Max Homa – PGA TOUR winner and social media fan-favorite
- Tony Finau – PGA TOUR winner
- John Smoltz – Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher and current baseball television analyst
- Sam Torrance – 21-time European Tour winner and eight-time Ryder Cup participant
- Gary McCord – longtime golf broadcaster and two-time PGA TOUR Champions winner
- Notah Begay – NBC Sports golf analyst/on-course reporter
Described as “equal parts wit and wisecracks” by Forbes and “a healthy dose of humor and self-deprecation” by Sports Business Journal, Feherty’s all-star lineup of golf-enthused and culturally relevant guests feature celebrities from across entertainment, sports and politics. To date, Feherty has sat down with four U.S. Presidents (Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Donald Trump); sports legends Charles Barkley, Stephen Curry and Nick Saban; Hollywood icons Matthew McConaughey, Kevin Hart and Larry David; World Golf of Fame members Fred Couples, Bernhard Langer, Nancy Lopez, Jack Nicklaus, Annika Sorenstam, Lee Trevino and Tom Watson; and a host of current golf superstars led by Rory McIlroy, Brooks Koepka, Jon Rahm and Justin Thomas.
The Emmy-nominated Feherty initially debuted in 2011, and Feherty himself has earned two Emmy-nominations for his role in the GOLF Channel original series (Outstanding Sports Personality – Studio Host). Feherty is produced by GOLF Channel’s Emmy-nominated original productions division, which also is responsible for the production of the network’s critically acclaimed GOLF Films. In addition to the Feherty series on GOLF Channel, the audio from episode interviews are available on the David Feherty podcast, which is accessible on GOLF Channel Digital and other podcast providers.