Paul Azinger, the former lead golf analyst for NBC Sports, feels like he may have left his job at the right time, describing the current state of the men’s game as “sad” following his departure from the network.
The 64-year-old American was axed by NBC last November, at a time when he believed they were partway through negotiating a new deal.
In an interview with Adam Schupark of Golfweek, Azinger, a 12-time winner on the PGA Tour, described his former job as a “blessing”, although he says he’s now more than happy to spend his time fishing and playing more social golf.
“For me to be able to do NBC was the greatest opportunity and blessing. I was the lead analyst at ABC, at ESPN, and at NBC and that was awesome,” he said.
“I’ve had two full careers and it was a great run. I’m so grateful that I had the chance to do NBC. I wish it could have ended up better for me. I was ready to keep going and I thought we were negotiating in good faith.”
Azinger, though, feels like he’s left the building at a good time, with the men’s game becoming so divided following the arrival of LIV Golf in 2022.
“I don’t want to get in too much hot water and make big headlines or anything but the best players aren’t on the PGA Tour,” he said.
“They’re scattered all over the place and that’s a sad day that’s similar to what happened in tennis. The best players are going to be at the four Majors, just like tennis, and it’s unfolding right before our eyes.”
Azinger's comments mirror those voiced by Viktor Hovland, who also revealed recently how “sad” the situation has become.
“It’s a little comical to see what’s going on in the game of golf, but I hope there’s a resolution in the future because at the end of the day, I just want to compete at the best golf courses, the best tournaments and against the best players,” he said on an appearance on Claude Harmon's Son of a Butch podcast.
“Obviously, LIV is bringing in a lot of money to the sport and there's a lot of competition which I think is good,” he added.
“But it seems to have been a response from the PGA Tour's side it's just more talk about the money and I think that's a little bit sad.”
NBC/Golf Channel has yet to name a permanent replacement for Azinger, although a number of big names have been linked with taking over, including 2006 US Open champion Geoff Ogilvy and former world number one Luke Donald.
Azinger said he still tunes in to watch golf occasionally, although he’s not missing a role that was “always stress and pressure”.
Does that mean we shouldn’t expected to see the 1993 PGA champion back in the commentary booth ever again – or hopping over to LIV?
“I would not rule that out. But it ain’t gonna happen,” he said. “It would be stupid for me to say, ‘Oh, no, I’m ruling that out.’ I don’t rule anything out except the Tour.
“I’d rather call the Senior Tour than the PGA Tour to tell you the truth. I’m over the PGA Tour. To call the best senior players in the world, at least they’re the best.”
