Catching up with actor, 'golf addict' Anthony Anderson
Comedian and actor Anthony Anderson took time away from his busy schedule, which currently includes a role on "Law & Order," to attend the second round of THE PLAYERS Championship. Anderson has worked on the silver screen -- you probably saw him in "The Departed" or "Transformers" -- and on television, where he most notably starred as Antwon Mitchell on "The Shield." PGATOUR.COM's Lauren Deason sat down with Anderson, a self-professed golf addict, at TPC Sawgrass to talk about his game, his new show on the GOLF CHANNEL, the best and worst celebrity golfers and his reason for getting hooked on golf.
PGATOUR.COM: Do you plan to watch any golf while you are here at THE PLAYERS Championship?
ANDERSON: I'm about to go follow Tiger. I'm just out here to support him. You always root for the No. 1 player in the world, plus he's a friend of mine. But I'm a fan of the sport, so I like to watch anyone that's out there playing. We all have our favorites, though. I would like to see what Sergio (Garcia) is going to do as the reigning champion but I want to see Tiger do well as well. He's coming back from his injury and hasn't played up to his standards the last couple of rounds, so it would be nice for him to come home with a victory.
PGATOUR.COM: If you could compare your game to a TOUR player's game, who do you resemble?
ANDERSON: Physically, it's John Daly. John is a good friend of mine as well. He actually took me down to the TaylorMade facility and we had our swings analyzed together. My swing was almost a mirror image of his, even with the hitch up top.
PGATOUR.COM: We've seen you out here on TOUR before when you've played in the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am and the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic.
ANDERSON: Yes, but I've never gotten a chance to play TPC Sawgrass though. I'm so close in New York now with the television show [Anderson plays Detective Kevin Bernard on "Law & Order"] and we're on hiatus right now, so when I get time in my schedule I'm going to come down and play it. Actually, this is my first time walking the course or even being here. I'm excited and just in awe of it, especially the 17th green and learning the history of it. A lot of people may think that it was Pete Dye's idea to have that island green, but it was actually his wife's. I'm interested in playing that hole.
PGATOUR.COM: Do you think you'll hit the green on your first try?
ANDERSON: The competitor in me says yes, I can hit it in one swing. We'll see when I come down what happens, but it's only, what, 133 yards? I have that swing in my wheelhouse but, whether or not it remains on the green and holds -- that remains to be seen. I definitely have that shot.
PGATOUR.COM: Let's talk about your game. How did you get interested in golf?
ANDERSON: My father-in-law introduced me to the game about 13 or 14 years ago. He's a left-handed player. He took me to a driving range and had only one right-handed club in his bag. I swung with that and, from that day on, I've been hooked. I'm addicted to it and can't get it out of my system. I travel with my clubs wherever I go, whether I have a tee time or not.
PGATOUR.COM: With such a busy schedule, when do you find the time to play?
ANDERSON: You never know when you're going to fit a round in, hit some balls or have that opportunity. I just love the game itself. I'm a competitive person by nature, so to have a sport where it's just you, the course and the elements, that's what keeps me going back.
PGATOUR.COM: You've been all over the world to film movies like "The Departed," "Hustle & Flow" and "Transformers." Have you gotten a chance to tee it up on some special courses?
ANDERSON: The Old Course at St. Andrews. Pebble Beach. A few courses in the Dominican Republic that were breathtaking. Wherever I go on vacation or for a film, I take my sticks. We filmed "Kangaroo Jack" in Australia for six months, so I played some great courses on cliffs there. I filmed movies in London, so I played some courses there. Wherever I am, trust and believe that my sticks are with me and I've hit a course somewhere near there.
PGATOUR.COM: What's your handicap?
ANDERSON: My golf game is my handicap. No, it's a 14. But it's trending down to about a 10 when I play consistently, so I'm trying to get it down to single digits.
PGATOUR.COM: What's the best score you've ever shot?
ANDERSON: It was on my birthday, August 15th. I was just on fire that day. I shot an 82 at my home course in Los Angeles, Mountain Gate.
PGATOUR.COM: If you could pick anyone in the world to play with, who would be in your dream foursome?
ANDERSON: President Obama, Charlie Sifford and (pauses to think about it) Arnold Palmer, of course.
PGATOUR.COM: Can you give us a little Hollywood insight on the best and worst celebrity golfers?
ANDERSON: Oh, we'll start with the worst celebrity. Charles Barkley. Everyone knows that. You can print me in bold print -- Charles Barkley is the worst celebrity golfer. There are some good ones out there, though. Sam Jackson is a good friend -- we're members of the same course and he's good. Kenny G is a great golfer, Alice Cooper, Marcus Allen ... these are all guys that I play with in tournaments and in leisurely play.
PGATOUR.COM: But you're the one with the show on the GOLF CHANNEL. Tell us about your new gig as the host of a golf-related show.
ANDERSON: The show is called "Golf in America." It highlights human interest stories in and around the sport of golf. It's basically like "Inside Sports" for the GOLF CHANNEL, and I'm the host and am happy to be a part of it. We premiered Sunday evening after the Masters and we go to series during the weekend of the U.S. Open.
PGATOUR.COM: And it includes people from all walks of life, right? Everyone from Justin Timberlake to a group of friends and golf buddies who were on the plane that crashed in the Hudson River.
ANDERSON: Yes, we've got Justin Timberlake, Donald Trump, the group of guys who were planning their yearly trip from New York to Myrtle Beach and were on Flight 1549. The plane actually came to rest right in front of my apartment in Battery Park City. Joe Louis Barrow Jr. is also on it. We have a story on a sister and brother team out of Canada who are coached by their father, but he's never played a round of golf in his life. He learned by reading golf books and watching golf, and his son and daughter are the No. 1 and No. 2 in their flight in the world. We have stories like that -- interesting tidbits, history lessons and strange but true stories.
PGATOUR.COM: It sounds like you are pretty involved with the show.
ANDERSON: I've asked to be a part of the reporting team as well, so I interviewed a professional player by the name of Marion Dantzler, a 45-year-old golfer who is still trying to make it on tour (mini tours) and is living at home with his mother and father. I interviewed Joe Louis Barrow Jr. today about his involvement with The First Tee program. I'll get a few stories to report on as well as host the show.
PGATOUR.COM: One last question. You're hosting a show about golf stories, so what's the strangest or funniest incident that's happened to you on the course?
ANDERSON: I was playing in a golf tournament in Puerto Rico. I stood on the tee box and was about to tee off when I felt a burning sensation around my ankles and up my calves. I looked down and didn't know that I had stood on a fire ant hill and had kicked over their mound. They had started to crawl up my pants leg, so I had to undress completely down to my underwear on the 10th tee box at this course in the middle of a pro-am. Yeah, in the middle of a pro-am.
PGATOUR.COM: Sounds like you and Henrik Stenson have something in common.
ANDERSON: (Laughs) Yeah, we definitely do.
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