Peter Alliss offends with comments about Zach Johnson's wife
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Peter Alliss offends with comments about Zach Johnson’s wife

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Peter Alliss is a legendary play-by-play golf announcer, whose voice American audiences rarely hear except during ESPN's coverage of the Open Championship. His pithy style is typically witty and endearing. However, as society has changed, Alliss' views, particularly on women, have not, and they got him into trouble during the BBC coverage of the Open.

During Monday's four-hole aggregate playoff, the BBC showed a shot of Johnson's wife, Kim. Alliss segued into a discussion about how the family would spend the $1.8 million first-place prize.

"She is probably thinking, If this goes in I get a new kitchen," Alliss said, according to the Telegraph.

Social media reaction to what Alliss said was swift and negative, and it would have been much stronger had he said it in the United States. Whether you find that funny or not -- and if you do, you're probably not reading this, thank goodness -- isn't the point. That stuff just doesn't work in 2015.

Alliss will presumably be heard by American audiences during the Open one last time, when ESPN broadcasts its final Open Championship in 2016 before NBC Sports Group takes over the contract.

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Ryan Ballengee

Ryan Ballengee is founder and editor of Golf News Net. He has been writing and broadcasting about golf for nearly 20 years. Ballengee lives in the Washington, D.C. area with his family. He is currently a +2.6 USGA handicap, and he has covered dozens of major championships and professional golf tournaments. He likes writing about golf and making it more accessible by answering the complex questions fans have about the pro game or who want to understand how to play golf better.

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