• Loading stock data...
Saturday, May 31, 2025

NBC Sports Drops Paul Azinger As Lead Golf Analyst

  • A marquee golf TV job opened up Sunday as NBC Sports dumped Paul Azinger as its lead analyst.
  • Several candidates will audition to be Dan Hicks’ co-host before the new PGA Tour season kicks into high gear, said sources.
Paul Azinger
KIM KLEMENT-USA TODAY Sports

One of sports media’s top golf TV jobs opened up Sunday as NBC Sports dropped Paul Azinger as its lead analyst.

The network will audition several possible lead analysts alongside host Dan Hicks before the new PGA Tour season kicks into high gear in January/February, sources told Front Office Sports.

Among the possible internal contenders at NBC are former Open Champion Justin Leonard, outspoken Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee, and Brad Faxon. 

Rising on-course reporter Smylie Kaufman could also get a bigger role, said sources.

“Historically, the lead analyst at the networks has always been a major champion,” said a source. “But I don’t know if they need that any more. NBC does have Justin Leonard — and they do like him. And he’s a major champion.”

The feeling inside and outside of NBC was that the 63-year-old Azinger (who won the 1993 PGA Championship) never lived up to his TV predecessor Johnny Miller. 

The straight-shooting Miller, a two-time major champion, earned a reputation as arguably the greatest golf analyst of all time during his NBC tenure from 1990 to 2019.

Over the years, Azinger had become one of the biggest announcer targets on social media since Jason Witten on “Monday Night Football.”

For instance, golf viewers ripped Azinger’s analysis during NBC’s coverage of the 2023 U.S. Open, according to Awful Announcing.

“Everything Azinger says gets proven wrong three seconds later,” complained one viewer on Twitter. 

“Can’t fire him fast enough,” added another NBC viewer.

On Monday, a roundtable of Golf Digest writers said Azinger appeared to be mailing it in with his commentary.

“He sounded unprepared to me. There’s a reason he was routinely a punching bag on Golf Twitter,” wrote Alex Myers. “Replacing a legend is never easy, but he didn’t do a good job. And rarely do so many fans agree on something.”

Outside NBC, we will see whether Sir Nick Faldo, former lead analyst for CBS Sports, would want to do a full-time TV gig again.

Azinger was also damaged by the rise of CBS Sports analyst Trevor Immelman. The 2008 Masters winner became CBS’s fifth lead analyst this year, succeeding Faldo. Unlike Azinger, he’s been a hit with viewers and the golf industry.

NBC declined to renew Azinger’s five-year contract, according to Doug Ferguson of the Associated Press, who broke the news. Over the last year, NBC also declined to renew the contracts of long-time analysts Roger Maltbie and Gary Koch. 

Azinger was preparing to call Tiger Woods’ return to competitive golf at the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas from Nov. 30 to Dec. 3.

Still, he seemed caught off guard by the decision. Before joining NBC, he previously worked as an analyst for ABC, ESPN, and Fox Sports.

“I have treasured working beside Dan Hicks and the other talented NBC broadcasters as well as lead producer Tommy Roy and all those behind the scenes,” he told the AP. 

“They are a remarkable team, and I will miss them tremendously. My thanks to them and the countless others who have supported me and helped me along the way during my work in television. I have faith in what the future holds for me, for NBC, and for the great game of golf.”

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

PGA Tour’s $100M Playoffs Alter Bonus Payout for Tour Championship

The Tour Championship will no longer award $25 million to its winner.

New LPGA Commissioner: Women’s Golf ‘Really Hard’ to Find on TV

Former PGA of America COO Craig Kessler will lead the tour.

NBC Eyes MLB Rights, Looks to Own Sunday Nights Year-Round

The league continues to shop media rights being forfeited by ESPN.

Featured Today

PSG and the City of Paris Can Join European Soccer’s Elite

What a maiden Champions League title would mean for the French club.
May 30, 2025

How the Champions League Anthem Took on a Life of Its Own

The composer didn’t know he wrote a timeless hit three decades ago.
May 25, 2025

How Rolex Paved the Way for Luxury’s Love Affair With Tennis

“It’s almost impossible to think about tennis without thinking about Rolex.”
Mar 23, 2025; Miami, FL, USA; Alexandra Eala (PHI) reacts after winning a point against Madison Keys (USA)(not pictured) on day six of the Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium.
May 24, 2025

Alex Eala Is Defying Her Country’s Odds to Make French Open History

The Philippines native has overcome a unique set of financial odds.
May 30, 2025

Panthers-Oilers Rematch Could Be Big in Canada. Will U.S. Ratings Dip?

Likely viewership declines in the U.S. are countered by robust Canadian audiences.
May 30, 2025

French Open Scheduling Sparks Backlash Over Women’s Time Slots

Coco Gauff has also said the French Open schedule could be improved.
Sponsored

Game On: Portfolio Players Stories, Brought to You by E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

In Episode 7 of Portfolio Players, go inside the boardroom with Avenue Capital CEO and former Milwaukee Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry on Giannis’s future, women’s sports, and upstart leagues like TGL and Unrivaled. 
May 28, 2025

NBA East Finals Delivers Strong TV Ratings, but West Is Struggling

The Pacers and Thunder are both up 3–1 in their conference finals series.
Around the Horn
May 23, 2025

Behind the Scenes of Around the Horn’s Final Days

FOS followed Tony Reali at the penultimate taping of the ESPN icon.
Around the Horn - October 26, 2020
May 23, 2025

‘Quirky, Nutty, Bombastic’: 10 ‘Around the Horn’ Faces on Their Top Moments

“A quirky, nutty, bombastic, mostly wrong, sometimes right, crazy sports family.”
May 21, 2025

Paige Bueckers’s WNBA Debut Delivers 121% Ratings Bump on Ion

Friday’s doubleheader averaged 612,000 viewers.