NBC Golf introduced Kevin Kisner will take over as lead analyst for 2 occasions to start out the 2024 PGA Tour season, filling the position vacated by Paul Azinger.
Getty Images/Ken Murray
A brand new voice is getting into the highlight at NBC Golf.
Kevin Kisner’s?!
On Sunday at the PNC championship, NBC play-by-play man Dan Hicks introduced that Kisner will be part of the community’s broadcast sales space for its first two marquee broadcasts of the 2024 PGA Tour season at the Sentry Tournament of Champions and the WM Phoenix Open. The hiring, touted for now as a tryout, marks a shock addition for NBC, which introduced final month that it was parting methods with lead analyst Paul Azinger after 5 years. NBC has been tied to each longtime analyst Paul McGinley and 2006 U.S. Open winner Geoff Ogilvy in current days.
“I have always found Kevin to be very forthright, honest, and fearless when sharing his thoughts and opinions about the game, whether it’s in a conversation on the driving range or during his pre- and post-round press conferences,” NBC Golf lead producer Tommy Roy stated in a launch on Sunday. “We think his style will translate well to the viewers at home and we’re excited to have him join the NBC Sports broadcast team at The Sentry and the WM Phoenix Open.”
Kisner, a beloved podcast visitor and repeatedly one of many extra entertaining quotes in golf, represents an intriguing selection at the highest of the NBC Golf meals chain for at least the primary two occasions of ’23. An unapologetic voice and witty persona, Kisner will likely be a well-liked voice amongst each gamers and viewers whereas his taking part in future stays in query. The four-time Tour winner fell exterior of the highest 200 gamers within the FedEx Cup standings in 2023 and, as such, misplaced his invitation into the Tour’s “signature events” sequence. At 39 years previous, he retains his PGA Tour card and will conceivably proceed competing, although the NBC job may signify a possibility to forge post-playing profession.
“I’m excited to have this opportunity with NBC Sports to watch the game of golf from the other side and comment on what I’m seeing on the course,” Kisner stated in the identical launch.
It’s unclear if NBC plans to rent a lead analyst earlier than the beginning of the 2024 season, although NBC sources have indicated the community does ultimately intend to rent a full-time candidate. It’s additionally unclear if Kisner will likely be thought-about for the full-time position — which might mark a substantial leap for a participant with no earlier TV expertise — or if the community is auditioning him for a place just like the on-course reporter roles stuffed by former players-turned-broadcasters Smylie Kaufman and Colt Knost.
For now, the hiring offers NBC’s golf protection a jolt for 2 key occasions of 2024 at a vital juncture for the community and its companions at the PGA Tour. The Tour stays mired in an ongoing battle with LIV Golf that threatens to upend the worth of its media rights agreements and poach priceless TV rankings from NBC and CBS. While a brand new voice gained’t do a lot to sway the allegiances of hundreds of thousands of viewers, Kisner may deliver some much-needed juice to a broadcast that has struggled below the load of a dry telecast and an overabundance of commercials lately.
The information comes weeks after the Associated Press first reported that NBC wouldn’t be renewing its contract with Azinger after 5 years within the lead chair. Azinger’s departure was noteworthy, significantly contemplating his predecessor Johnny Miller’s 29-year tenure within the lead chair, but it surely fell properly wanting stunning. The former U.S. Ryder Cup captain’s tenure as NBC lead analyst usually fell below criticism for his overreliance on folksy, instinct-driven analysts — a bent that usually ran counter to easily accessible facts or information. In current years, Azinger confirmed an rising tendency to criticize “golf media” from the sales space, a curious selection contemplating his personal position as arguably golf’s most influential media voice.
“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,” Azinger stated in a press release at the time. “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.”
Kisner’s tryout additionally marks the newest in a stretch of turnover for NBC’s golf protection, which noticed the departures of longtime voices Gary Koch and Roger Maltbie final 12 months and welcomed the additions of Smylie Kaufman and Curt Byrum. NBC is approaching the center of a nine-year media rights settlement with the PGA Tour that runs via the top of the last decade. Under the settlement, NBC can pay the Tour near $400 million yearly for the rights to broadcast its occasions, along with different agreements with the USGA and R&A for the rights to the U.S. Open and Open Championship.
