In the wake of Paul Azinger’s departure, who might NBC turn to for its golf broadcasts?

If Ken Venturi had worked as the lead golf analyst for CBS during the era of social media, would he have stayed in that position for 35 years?

That’s an interesting question for two reasons. First, it’s difficult to imagine any broadcaster who could stand up for 35 years to the slings and arrows that head their way these days on platforms like X (formerly known as Twitter) or Facebook or Threads or any other social media. The digs and the insults seem to get a little more cutting as time goes by, and eventually maybe the people who employ the broadcasters start to take notice.

Second is that Paul Azinger, the lead golf analyst for NBC, is no longer the network’s lead analyst. After four years on the job, with social media taking plenty of shots at Azinger in the last year at the U.S. Open and the Ryder Cup, Azinger was reportedly asked to take a pay cut. Azinger reportedly said no, and so now NBC begins the search for a new face for their broadcasts.

Not that long ago, it seemed like the people who described the game for television viewers were the same voices year in and year out for decades. But in recent years, the voices seem to be going through a revolving door. Azinger is just the latest change at NBC, which also let go of Roger Maltbie and Gary Koch before the 2023 season began. Azinger had only been on the job since 2019, when Johnny Miller retired from the booth after nearly three decades.

The changes are fewer at CBS, but just as dramatic, with Trevor Immelman finishing his first year as lead analyst for golf after Nick Faldo wanted to cut back on his schedule and CBS said no. It doesn’t seem that long ago that CBS let go of Gary McCord and Peter Kostis, each having served about three decades with the network.

Younger and fresher?

Many of those changes in the last four or five years seemed to be about getting younger and fresher with the golf broadcasts, replacing voices in their 70s with voices in their 40s. But Azinger is 63, so you’re not going to get much younger than that for a voice with the credentials of a major champion and Ryder Cup stalwart like Azinger.

It seems like the social media beating that Azinger took at the Open and the Ryder Cup caught up with him, making NBC re-think its commitment to him. Technically, Azinger wasn’t fired. His expiring contract just wasn’t renewed.

Who will take over for Azinger is now the question. Two early candidates are Curt Byrum, who has been doing commentary for NBC and Golf Channel for several years, and Paul McGinley, the Irish golfer who played on Ryder Cups for Europe and was the captain of the winning European team in 2014. McGinley has been a fixture at Golf Channel recently, playing a foil to Brandel Chamblee at times. He’ll get a one-week trial run during the 2023 Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas.

Maybe NBC could coax Faldo out of retirement, knowing that NBC has fewer tournaments than CBS. Maybe Phil Mickelson, who should have had either the NBC or CBS job had it not been for his LIV connections, will return to the fold at some point.

Is there a candidate lurking out there in the fairways who is still an active golfer but could walk away for a network job?

Which brings us back to Miller and Venturi. Miller was popular, but his critics said he was too caustic, too blunt in talking about players’ shortcomings, too eager to use the word “choke.” Venturi, on the other hand, was criticized at the end of his time at CBS for not being harsh enough in talking about the mistakes players made during a round.

Could either Miller or Venturi, a long-time Coachella Valley resident, have lasted even one decade in their jobs under the scrutiny of social media? Would either NBC or CBS be committed to a broadcaster who was being attacked seemingly every broadcast by people who may or may not have a clue what broadcasting golf is all about?

Maybe Azinger wasn’t the best golf analyst or the smoothest personality on television. But he was not as bad as social media made him out to be and brought the credibility of a major champion and Ryder Cup captain to the job.

Where NBC goes now will be interesting, whether it is just replacing Azinger or trying to revamp its entire broadcast.