Gary Lineker took on the role of golf’s lead presenter for the BBC early into his career with Steve Rider, who he replaced, sharing a brutal verdict on the decision
Gary Lineker took on the role of BBC’s lead golf presenter in 2005 after the departure of Steve Rider(Image: (Photo by Shaun Brooks – CameraSport via Getty Images))
Steve Rider has explained that Gary Lineker was not the right person to replace him as the BBC’s lead golf presenter due to the sport being “unscripted” unlike Match of the Day. Lineker began his leading role on the latter in 1999 and just a few years later was handed a similar position in golf.
That was because Rider had made the move back to ITV, which was where he initially started his career, in 2005 with his illustrious broadcasting career coming to an end last summer.
The 75-year-old retired having covered some of sports’ most high-profile events, including the Olympic Games, the Rugby World Cup, and others. When at the BBC, golf majors were also on his schedule which included the Ryder Cup, the Open and the Masters.
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Lineker coming in as his replacement did not sit too well with Rider but his opinion on the matter was only issued in 2015 after Lineker infamously labelled the R&A ‘pompous’ and accused them of acting like ‘superior beings’.
In an interview with the Golf Paper, Rider stated: “I hold Gary Lineker in the highest regard as a football presenter, but his reflections on his experiences as a golf presenter need a huge reality check.
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“For four years, the R&A and most other observers knew that Gary was the wrong man in the wrong job. Hazel Irvine has just delivered once again at the Open presentation skills of the highest quality. Not many people can do that and Gary certainly came up short.
“Roger Mosey, the head of sport, knew Gary was a golf fanatic and was further encouraged by Gary apparently volunteering for the Masters vacancy within a few minutes of my exit from Television Centre.
“But if Mosey thought long and hard before offering Gary the golf job, it’s even more baffling. Match of the Day is scripted and rehearsed. Golf presentation, especially at Augusta, is seat of the pants, unpredictable and demanding.”
The Telegraph have claimed that Rider has not spoken to Lineker since then. Some strong political views and controversial messages that did not align with the BBC resulted in him departing the company in May with Rider on hand to share his thoughts.
Steve Rider had two spells at ITV either side of working for the BBC
He said: “To put forward his opinions so energetically, you not to step outside the framework of the BBC. That message was never convincingly conveyed to him by the BBC, and that’s where they are at fault.
“He needed people looking after him before he pressed the button on some fairly volatile retweets. He needed to be saved from himself. So, there was a kind of inevitability about it.”
Since leaving the BBC nearly one year ago, Lineker has not had too many presenting roles but continues to host ‘The Rest is Football’ podcast alongside Micah Richards and Alan Shearer.
Daily episodes of the show are set to arrive during the World Cup after a deal was signed between Goalhanger, the company that produces the podcast, and major streaming platform Netflix.
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