Miller ponders comeback

Johnny Miller, one of the greatest golfers of his generation, is starting to think about coming out of retirement.

The 55-year-old American star says: ‘‘For the first time in about 10 or 15 years, I’m getting the itch to play a little bit of senior golf.’’

For the past five years it has been a physical impossibility, because Miller has suffered a herniated back, a broken vertebrae and various wrist, knee and leg ailments.

But now he is starting to feel healthy again and also feeling inspired by his 24-year-old son Andy, who at the United States Open today was making his major championship debut.

One of Miller’s six children - he also has eight grandchildren - Andy came through the qualifying tournament last week and so will find himself being commentated on by his famous father.

Miller senior won the title in 1973 with the first round of 63 seen in major history. It has still to be beaten.

He also landed the Open at Birkdale three years later, with a 19-year-old by the name of Seve Ballesteros runner-up to him.

His last victory on the US Tour was eight years ago, but he has not played a single event on the circuit since 1995 and instead has become one of the best-known television analysts in the game.

Miller is famed for not holding back on his views if the need arises and he has told Andy it will be no different when the cameras start pointing at him.

‘‘It doesn’t matter if it’s my wife or my kids, it is what it is,’’ says Miller. ‘‘If he’s behind a tree in deep rough and tries to hit a driver I’m going to tell him how dumb it was.

‘‘It’s not because I’m trying to hurt him, but I’m trying to basically inform you guys that I don’t think it was a good decision.

‘‘The way I announce I don’t have to fake. It’s not like I’m Bill Clinton or a politician trying to be politically correct.

‘‘I just tell what I see. He knows that. He knows when I work with him that sometimes I’m almost too blatantly honest with him and I sort of made some mistakes maybe being so honest with what he’s doing in his game.

‘‘But it’s just the way I am. It’s not something I make up. I am what I am. He knows how much I care about him and how much I am pulling for him. That’s the main thing.

‘‘I’m excited to do the Open even if my kids are not in it, but now with him in there it’s going to be a weird thing, but very exciting.

‘‘He’s a smart player and smart enough mentally to tell me to take a hike if he didn’t like what I’m trying to tell him.

‘‘I’m cool with that. I’ve been there with my dad. He would tell me five things, four of them were nuts and one of them was pretty good.’’

Andy turned professional two years ago, having reached the last 16 of the US Amateur the previous season.

He has not yet made it onto the US Tour, but shot a 62 in February to qualify for the Tucson Open, only to miss the halfway cut.

His father is clearly impressed with his talent.

‘‘He’s got a lot more distance than I did. If he was on tour right now he would be in the top 10 in driving distance and definitely close to Tiger or Duval,’’ said Miller senior.

‘‘I think his long irons are maybe even better than me. I might have had an advantage with a mid or short-iron, but he’s a lot better chipper than I was and putting is pretty similar.

‘‘He’s very strong mentally. It’s something that people like hanging around with Andy because he’s sort of got it together.’’

He will need to be that way at Bethpage Black, a ferociously difficult new venue for the US Open situated on New York’s Long Island and at 7,214 yards the longest course ever used.