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Courtesy of Adam Fisher
Naples Daily News
NAPLES - It's been a year since ESPN personality Chris Berman last teed off in The Franklin Templeton Shootout pro-am, but it might as well have been an eternity.
Berman, host of the sports network's Sunday NFL Countdown, is playing in his fifth straight Shootout pro-am, which concludes with today's second round. A lot of things have changed, however, in the 12 months since playing in last year's event.
 Berman, host of ESPN's Sunday NFL Countdown, is playing in his fifth straight Shootout pro-am. |
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For starters, Berman said he's shocked at the difference in the South Florida football scene from 2007. When he played in last year's pro-am, the Miami Dolphins were 0-13 and people were asking if they would win a game.
Now the Dolphins are 8-5 and tied for first in the AFC East.
"Last year when we were here, it was funny - I picked a week in advance the one game they'd win, Baltimore," Berman said. "Now we're talking about, 'Can they win the division?' Just think about that."
A division championship is well within the Dolphins' grasp, Berman said, especially since Miami plays the New York Jets in the final game of the regular season. Miami is tied with the Jets atop the East. The Bucs (9-4) also have one of the best records in the NFC.
Berman cautioned the Dolphins from looking ahead to the division matchup and said Miami needs to be particularly wary of its Week 16 game at Kansas City.
"You're expected to win a road game late in the year," Berman said. "It's just another little test."
Berman spoke about the NFL following his round Wednesday. Though the Shootout event is not a celebrity pro-am, the ESPN host is the most famous amateur among the 120 in this year's field.
He was paired with PGA Tour pro Jerry Kelly in the first round and will play with Stewart Cink and three other amateurs Thursday. Berman only hopes Thursday's round goes as well as Wednesday's did -- the team shot a 47 and leads by three strokes.
"Boomer played great," Kelly said, referring to Berman by his nickname. "He made a bunch of great putts. He made four putts for eagle today.
"We're always having fun, but he's trying to be a little bit serious. He's not entertaining in the Bill Murray style, but he sure is entertaining to talk to at all times."
Wednesday's round was a shamble format in which every play played his own ball from the best drive. Berman's group shot in the 40s.
"That's the temperature on a good day where I live in Connecticut," Berman joked.
Another change in the past year is Berman's slimmer frame. He's been seen recently on television commercials for the weight-loss company NutriSystem, and Berman said he's 40 pounds lighter than when he played in the Shootout last year.
The pro-am is a rare escape for Berman during the NFL season, when he's mostly confined to Bristol, Conn., and the ESPN studios. Berman and his wife own a part-time home on Captiva Island, but rarely come to the area until football is over.
Playing in the Shootout gives Berman a mini four-day vacation before heading back to Bristol on Saturday. And because he likes the area so much, Berman said he'll continue to play in the pro-am until he's no longer invited.
"If elected I shall serve," Berman said. "It's good to be down here. Plus, I'm kind of a 239 area code guy anyway. I've been coming out to Captiva and Sanibel since the early '80s. It's kind of our family's little part of Florida."
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