Tale Of Two David Feherty Profiles

This week's Golf World cover story by Franz Lidz looks at the life and times of David Feherty, the same week John Garrity files an SI Golf Plus feature on the life and times of...David Feherty.

Both are worth reading if you are a Feherty fan, or even if you are not. Lidz wins the prize for keeping Feherty's daily pill regimin straight.

The vial Feherty keeps in his pants pocket harbors his daily regimen of anti-depressants (Cymbalta), anti-psychotics (Abilify, Klonopin), stimulants (Adderall, Vyvanse), mood stabilizers (Lamictal), cholesterol (Lipitor) and blood pressure meds (Avalide), and sleep aids (Ambien). "I don't like sleeping pills," he allows. "I don't like sleeping, period."

And Lidz gets to the heart of Feherty's affection for Tiger Woods.

Since then, he and Woods have remained friendly -- engaging in innumerable if barely audible on-course farting duels -- though not especially intimate. "I've been accused of being so far up Tiger's ass that he can barely make a full swing," says Feherty. From his privileged redoubt, he maintains he's seen a facet of Woods that the public seldom does: an immense vulnerability. "Tiger got so famous so quickly that he had little or no control over the firewall that was built around him," he says. "As a result, who he really is vanished for most of us overnight. I imagine it must be hard for him to live a life in a manner that he may not have chosen, and I think he struggles with it. Just a theory, but he's so much nicer than the general perception of him."

Garrity also got some tag-along time and shared this about wife/saint Anita:

Waiting in an idling limousine while David shakes a few last hands after the show, she says, "He's in a happy place now, but it's still a battle. David's head is full of cobwebs, he hears voices. When he's stumbling around at 3 a.m., he's dealing with those voices. But at least now he recognizes what's happening, and he can deal with it."

Staying on his meds is critical, she emphasizes, but equally important are his pursuits. Riding bikes, interviewing celebrities, teasing their 14-year-old daughter, building custom hunting rifles for wounded vets, leaping from an airplane, watching raw video for an ordnance-heavy Feherty spinoff called Sniper Golf, raging against religion -- it's all therapy, Feherty style.

The problem -- there's that word again -- is that Feherty, like this article, is mostly present tense. He can't plan, he won't remember. Having turned off his voice mail, he communicates by the most distilled medium available -- text. He relies on his agent, his producers and Anita -- mostly Anita -- to coach him through his day.

Staring at the diffuse glare of headlights flowing across the tinted windows, Anita considers her husband's plight. "One of his book titles," she says, "was Somewhere in Ireland a Village Is Missing an Idiot. Well, it takes a village behind David to keep him going."

Anticipating the next question, she says, "Yes, it's challenging. But it's my job."

Lidz talks to Ryan Herrington for this week's Golf World podcast.

Comments

[Media maven]

The GW story or deck states that he's the game's best interviewer...I think that's debatable..not much competition for starters, on TV amuway....he doesn't really ask (good or challenging ) questions, but maybe guests are comfortable with him and open up...still I can't recall a single memorable revelation or newsmaking quote coming out of his show. just a nice conversation. nothing groundbreaking. His sense of humor often escapes me. And I wish he'd tidy himself up, esp. the bad hair.
PS The promos with him talking to a lady shrink are very weak and questionable given his mental history.

[JJ]

I met David at a charity event in Mexico for the Los Cabos Childrens Foundation. Spent some time talking to him and I really enjoyed it. He seemed a little more thoughtful than on TV, but the personality was the same. He has been to the event multiple times and it is a big help to some local kids that otherwise could not get stateside medical help for some really serious problems. No publicity, just doing a good deed.

[Bobby D]

"(Cymbalta), anti-psychotics (Abilify, Klonopin), stimulants (Adderall, Vyvanse), mood stabilizers (Lamictal), cholesterol (Lipitor) and blood pressure meds (Avalide), and sleep aids (Ambien). "

that's quite a millshake...Vijay Singh has been vilified for less :o)

[H401]

The man was mildly amusing when his one-liners were delivered from obscure reaches of the golf course. Watching him now on television is akin to witnessing a man performing at gunpoint. Every utterance doesn't have to be something funny, irreverent or worse, just plain vulgar, does it?

[KLG]

Polypharmacy, much?

[Chico]

Used to be my travelling partner.Did well to hang in there-not been a bad career really!

[Roger]

I read the Golf Magazine profile. Good on David for overcoming what seem to be some serious, serious problems. I didn't appreciate the tone of the article, however. I thought Garrity seemed to be making light of the profundity of David's problems. Not at David's expense, mind you, but there was something about the article that seemed a bit off. Anybody on that regimen of psychotropic medications is on a razor-thin wire when it comes to both their mental and physical health. Perhaps Mr. Garrity bought into the clownishness of David's antics too much? The way he talked about David's disorganized thinking made it seem like it is just another humorous quirk of his "genius" personality. It's not funny to be so disorganized that you forget to get an MRI that a doctor thought was important enough to order. In fact, there is absolutely nothing funny in my mind about what is going on with David Feherty.

[No longer Used to be Former Stack & Tilt Convert]

chico, you gotta have some great stories.

[Doc]

The Golf Digest article got one little bit of information incorrect – Klonopin isn't an antipsychotic, it's a benzo, with anti-convulsant properties, it's used for anxiety and seizures.

[Bobby D]

"Klonopin isn't an antipsychotic, it's a benzo, with anti-convulsant properties, it's used for anxiety and seizures. "


YIKES!

[Claude]

I read Garrity's profile with my heart in my throat. How can any man stand that amount of pharmaceuticals sloshing around in his head before serious harm is done? Feherty is a treasure. Somebody stop him.

[Chico]

former stack-was before he split with his first wife which was when he really started to suffer-so he was only very slightly unhinged at that time!never a dull moment though!

[tlavin]

Overexposed.

[digsouth]

Overexposed, I agree.

I think of the commercial cited by MM are akin to people with physical disabilities, or a blind person, having ''wheelchair jokes, missing arm jokes, blind jokes- they lighten the burden by self-humor.

If he needs these meds to get his mind in balance, then I applaud his doctors for arriving at a recipe. Oten so many of these products work for a while, and then the body gets adjusted, and they no longer ae effective- hopefully, he will be vigilant to any changes.

I tink he's funny, but I can see hw others do not. I have watched some of his interview show, but his ''live on stage'' deal was a 10 minute go and then off with it, I mean really?

He is still great on the golf course, unlike McCord, who should hang it up. All this is, of course, a matter of opinion.

Chico, you are a survivor!

[munihack]

I find it interesting in the light of the gun/mental illness discussions that no one has brought up his fascination with guns. Since so many are now aware of his frailties are people around him questioning his access to weapons? If not, why? He admits himself he needs a lot of help to function. Hopefully this does not end sadly.

[Roger]

munihack,

That is a very perceptive point.

[S.D.]

Claude and Munihack--spot on