If you’ve watched any of NBC’s golf coverage over the past few years, then you know that the network’s lead analyst, Paul Azinger, really can make the broadcasts difficult to watch.
If the former PGA Tour player isn’t using the word “pressure” in seemingly every other comment to describe what the players are feeling in big moments, then he’s going off on some narrative that nobody but him really believes.
Azinger provided more proof of that during Saturday’s third round of the The Players Championship when Scottie Scheffler chipped in for an eagle on the second hole. Right after the ball found the cup, Azinger started talking about how basically the eagle could hurt Scheffler moving forward if he didn’t find a way to control his emotions.
Lots of fans on social media quickly called out Azinger after that moment and rightfully so—it was just such an odd thing for him to bring up after such an exciting shot. It was yet another example of how out of touch the announcer can be and how tough he can make these big events to watch.
At the beginning of Sunday’s broadcast, he brought up his favorite word—pressure!—a number of times, as if the viewers weren’t sure whether any of the players would be feeling any pressure or if they would be able to shake off the pressure and perform at their best.
If you do a quick Twitter search for “Azinger,” you’ll see lots of fans begging for an Azinger mute button, or for NBC to pull him from their broadcasts. Neither of those things are going to happen anytime soon, of course, but it’s clear that lots of fans are not happy having to listen to him during another huge golf tournament.
The final round already has been a lot of fun. Unfortunately, not many can say the same thing about broadcast.
