There are legions of golf fans who know Johnny Miller only as a television broadcaster. After retiring from the PGA Tour, Miller rarely played the Champions Tour, and his fame as a golfer faded.

When he debuted on golf telecasts as an analyst, Miller was a breath of fresh air, unafraid to call it as he saw it. Miller even had the gumption to toss around the word “choke” and apply it to specific players. Many golf fans and professional golfers came to love Miller’s broadcasting; but many also came to dislike it, believing Miller too blunt.

Those who know Miller only as a broadcaster are missing the knowledge of what a truly great golfer he was in his prime.

Miller grew up in San Francisco and won the 1964 U.S. Junior Amateur Championship, then had a successful college career at Brigham Young University. As a 19-year-old amateur, Miller finished eighth at the 1966 U.S. Open. He turned pro in 1969.

He’d won twice on the PGA Tour when, at the 1973 U.S. Open, he produced one of the best rounds of golf ever played. Miller’s final-round 63 led him to the first of his two major championships. Coming on the brutal Oakmont Country Club layout, and in the final round, and producing a victory, that round is ranked by many the greatest in the history of golf.

Miller also won the 1976 British Open.

In 1974, Miller won eight tournaments, the money title and the Player of the Year award. He won four more times in 1975.

The World Golf Hall of Fame says: “In golf’s modern era, it’s commonly understood that no player has ever achieved the brief but memorable brilliance of Johnny Miller. … (In 1974-75) Miller hit the ball consistently closer to the flag than any player in history. At his best, Miller’s game was marked by incredibly aggressive and equally accurate iron play.”

Miller’s playing credentials would likely be even stronger had he not been plagued by a series of injuries and, later in his career, the yips. He overcame both for his final victory, the 1994 Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

Miller is part of a limited partnership which purchased Silverado Country Club in Napa, California on July 1, 2010. He also owns a golf design company and a golf academy and designed the Thanksgiving Point Golf Course in Lehi, Utah, host of the Champion’s Challenge. He is also a frequent contributor to Golf Digest , offering insight into various aspects of golf.

Johnny Miller was elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1996.