David Feherty was born in the seaside town of Bangor in Northern Ireland. He grew up with aspirations to become an opera singer, until he discovered he had the knack for hitting a golf ball. He jokes about his career change, “I was always interested in music from a very early age. But when I turned pro at age 17, I haven’t sung a note since. Now, I only sing to punish my children.”
David enjoyed a successful professional career, with 10 victories worldwide and over $3 million in prize money. He was a regular on the European Tour, with victories including the ICL International, the Italian Open, Scottish Open, South Africa PGA, BMW Open, Cannes Open, and Madrid Open. He captained the winning Irish team in the 1990 Alfred Dunhill Cup and played on the European Ryder Cup Team in 1991, an experience that rejuvenated his fervor for golf.
In 1997, David retired from professional golf when offered a position as a golf commentator for CBS Sports. “I always enjoyed talking more than playing, and now CBS and the Golf Channel are paying me for what I like to do most.” Thanks to his sharp wit and colorful personality, David has become golf’s favorite announcer.
David’s success extends beyond broadcasting. He’s authored 6 books, several making the New York Times bestsellers list: An Idiot for all Seasons (Rugged Land LLC 2005), Somewhere in Ireland, A Village is Missing an Idiot (Rugged Land LLC 2003) and A Nasty Bit of Rough (Rugged Land LLC 2002). Each is “chocked full with belly-busting humor,” including his latest bestseller, The Power of Positive Idiocy (Doubleday 2010).
This year, the Golf Channel aired 18 episodes of Feherty -- its most popular program. No topic was off limits in this original series that shares revealing interviews with well-known personalities from sports and entertainment, including President Clinton, Donald Trump, Samuel L. Jackson and Bill Russell among others. As one critic observed, “Feherty is like the man: brutally honest, funny, maddeningly scattered.”
For David, his most fulfilling activities are on behalf of badly injured U.S. troops. Through his Troops First Foundation, David stages events for wounded Special Forces, Green Berets and other U.S. heroes involving golf, hunting, bicycling and skiing. David’s work with wounded soldiers was recently recognized with the U.S. Army’s 3rd highest Civilian honor – the “Outstanding Civilian Service” medal.
“Losing a limb, or the ability to use a limb, is one thing,” David says. “But the dignity they lose with it is perhaps even more important. And to be able to give them some of that dignity back is my mission with these days. It’s not a charity. It’s just us trying to pay back a very small part of the check that we owe them.”
David lives in Dallas, Texas with his wife Anita and their children.