Azinger (l) has been calling USGA-sanctioned events for Fox Sports since ’16 and will continue in that roleFOX SPORTS
NBC this morning officially named Paul Azinger its new lead analyst for golf coverage in a multiyear deal, and the 58-year-old said he feels no pressure taking over for longtime commentator Johnny Miller, who is retiring from the position after 29 years. “I’m not setting out to fill Johnny’s shoes; just going to be myself and not change,” Azinger told THE DAILY over the weekend. “He said to just be yourself. As a player, I didn’t really care for him, but as a broadcaster, I thought he was pretty amazing.” Miller’s last tournament is the PGA Tour Waste Management Phoenix Open in February, with Azinger making his NBC debut at the WGC-Mexico Championship on March 27. Azinger has been calling USGA events at Fox Sports since ’16 and will continue in that role under the NBC deal. Azinger will call 14 tournaments on NBC next year, including some weekday coverage on Golf Channel. He will also contribute to various Golf Channel shows like its “Live From” series and mentioned the possibility of an instructional series. Azinger said the draw of calling the big events led him to NBC; he will now work the Open Championship, Players Championship and Tour Championship. With this new deal, Azinger will be on the call for three of next year’s four majors: The Masters (BBC), U.S. Open (Fox) and Open Championship (NBC). “I would have regrets if I didn’t do it,” he said.
PULLING DOUBLE DUTY: Many high-profile golf analysts at NBC/Golf Channel had been considered as possible replacements for Miller, including Brandel Chamblee, David Feherty or even an up-and-comer like Justin Leonard. Azinger said he got the call from NBC in June ahead of the U.S. Open, but wanted the option to remain at Fox. “NBC approached me, and it was one of those calls that said 'hey, if you ever had a chance to do NBC, would you consider?'” Azinger said. “Fox, they wanted to keep me. So, we asked NBC about it and it really didn’t take that long from the guys there to say it’s not going to bother us. For me that would have been a deal breaker, I wouldn’t have done it.” This is not the first time a high-profile Fox broadcaster will be working for another network, as Fox MLB analyst Alex Rodriguez is also featured on ESPN’s “Sunday Night Baseball.” “(Fox’ lead producer) Mark Loomis wanted to keep me there and so did the other guys,” Azinger said. “(Lead announcer Joe) Buck and I work well together and I’m excited I can stay there.”
SAME FACES, NEW PLACES: In joining NBC, Azinger will be reunited with some familiar faces he worked with while at ESPN from ’05-15, including Terry Gannon and, most notably, Mike Tirico. He also worked previously with NBC’s lead producer Tommy Roy at the ’95 Ryder Cup. Azinger has not worked with NBC’s lead play-by-play man Dan Hicks, but said the two have known each other for many years and recently spoke about what to expect in the future. Tirico this morning tweeted, "Great to be teammates with @PaulAzinger again. Welcome to the @NBCSports @GolfChannel family Zinger!"
