Paul Azinger is already more comfortable as NBC Sports' lead golf analyst in year two. Azinger today begins a stretch of seven consecutive weeks in the booth alongside Dan Hicks at the WGC-Mexico event, a runway that would have been less comfortable for him last season. "I was nervous every single week last year. I wasn’t neutered or anything, but I want to be able to be the most candid announcer that there is," Azinger said. "NBC goes fast, you've gotta know when to get in there. I just think I'm going to settle in and be more relaxed." Azinger said he "had a million ideas last year" for the net's PGA Tour coverage, but "just laid in the weeds" and deferred to lead producer Tommy Roy. "The right thing for me to do was kind of sit back and see how they do it," he said. "For me, being more comfortable is being able to hit the talk-back button to tell Tommy, 'I want to see that swing again if you can get it to me.'" Viewers should not expect Azinger to be as conservative this year, especially when the going gets tough. “Being critical of players is the easiest thing in the world to do, but sizing up what they're looking at and the potential for a particular spot, that's the key," he said. "Let the picture tell the story and then try to provide insight."
