Fox Going With A Three-Man Booth: Azinger Joins Faxon On 18

The formula that proved successful for producer Mark Loomis at ABC will define year two of USGA golf on Fox. With the expected announced of Paul Azinger's hiring, Fox also mentioned in its press release that Brad Faxon has been promoted from 17th hole tower to the 18th hole broadcast booth, with Joe Buck playing traffic cop. The banter should be lively, funny and edgy between the three.

The full press release:

PAUL AZINGER NAMED FOX SPORTS’ LEAD GOLF ANALYST
 
Major Champion to Team with Seven-Time Emmy Winner Joe Buck in 18th Tower
New York – Paul Azinger, winner of the 1993 PGA Championship and veteran broadcaster, has joined FOX Sports as lead analyst for its golf coverage, beginning in 2016. Azinger joins seven-time Emmy Award-winning announcer Joe Buck and analyst Brad Faxon in the 18th Tower for FOX Sports’ USGA Championship telecasts. The announcement was made today by John Entz, President, Production & Executive Producer, FOX Sports and Mark Loomis, Coordinating Producer, USGA Studio & Event Production.
 
"Paul is a respected and trusted voice in the golf community, and he has the credibility of being a major champion with a strong track record of experience in the broadcast booth,” Entz said. “He has been one of golf's most candid and thoughtful analysts and we are excited to add him to our team.”
 
A 30-year PGA Tour veteran, Azinger was a 12-time winner on the tour, highlighted by his triumph at the 1993 PGA Championship at Inverness Club. Azinger joined the tour in 1981 and hit his prime later in the decade, earning PGA Tour Player of the Year honors in 1987 and spending nearly 300 weeks in the top-10 of the Official World Golf Rankings between 1988 and 1994. He also represented the United States on five Ryder Cup teams, participating four times as a player and serving as captain of the victorious 2008 squad.
 
"I am honored to partner with FOX Sports and the USGA to provide analysis for the compelling slate of USGA Championships,” Azinger said. “It will especially be an honor to call our nations national championship, the U.S. Open, beginning in June at storied Oakmont Country Club."
 
Azinger began his broadcasting career serving as an analyst for ABC’s PGA Tour golf coverage for 2005 and 2006, quickly becoming one of the most well-respected voices in the industry. He remained at ESPN through 2015 and has called early round coverage of the U.S. Open Championship, anchored coverage of the British Open Championship and contributed to early rounds of Masters Tournament coverage.
 
In his new role at FOX Sports, Azinger is scheduled to broadcast the 116th U.S. Open Championship at Oakmont Country Club, the U.S. Women’s Open at Cordevalle and the U.S. Senior Open at Scioto Country Club. He will also broadcast the 116th U.S. Amateur at Oakland Hills Country Club and the 2017 Walker Cup Match at Los Angeles Country Club.

Paul Azinger Taking Over For Greg Norman At Fox Sports

This should sharpen the announcing focus and also de-burden the Fox crew of Greg Norman's presence, despite the views of one that moving on without Norman will be tough.

Jaime Diaz at Golf World with the report citing sources who say Azinger will work the big events for Fox (the U.S. Amateur was not mentioned).

When news of Norman's firing was first reported by Links, it was reported here that Azinger was the likely and inevitable choice given his excellent analysis for ABC and ESPN over the years.

Update on 2016-01-27 05:59 by Geoff

**A year removed from Fox's big USGA roll-out at the Waldorf Astoria, M. James Ward explains why Norman was such a letdown in light of what was said in New York City last February.

The Shark was touted as the new voice—the man best able to provide the overview during the telecast given his prominent standing in the game as a top tier player for many years. The sad reality is that Greg was ill-prepared for the role. During key moments of the ’15 U.S. Open he failed to add anything of depth or meaning, often with long periods of silence and when eventually speaking only doing so in reaction to what others were saying. In short, the man who was hailed initially as a new voice had developed self-inflicted bouts of stage fright and allowed key moment after key moment to simply go unnoticed. Often when Norman did speak his contributions were fairly pedestrian in scope and limited in his overall golf knowledge of the different players—save those from his native land of Australia.

Nantz on Fox-Shark Split: "I am curious."

SI's Richard Deitsch talked to Jim Nantz about many topics, but left out this bit on the Greg Norman-Fox Sports breakup. However, Deitsch posted it in a notes piece.

Nantz explains how good Norman was in the booth whenever he'd finish after a round, making the parting a surprise to him.

So we don’t know what happened there. I am curious. It takes time for people to be together in any sport on the air, to be able to establish continuity and chemistry. When I interview coaches and players, sometimes you can see who is really gifted at rolling out a sound bite and saying it in a way that has never been heard before—interesting ways in making you think. I worked a lot with Greg over the years and I don’t know why they parted ways. I always had a lot of respect for what he offered when he came to his tower.

“I wish Fox well,” Nantz continued. “Unlike the NFL where everyone is broadcasting at the same time during the regular season, the golf season you hand it off. Yes, we [at CBS] have it for the most weeks but we truly want everyone to do well because when it is your week, you are in charge of trying to make the game sound interesting and advance the sport and document it. It is not the competitive craziness that people want to talk about it. I watch other people call golf events and cheer them on and text them and congratulate them when they do good work, which is all the time. It is a different vibe than you might think.”

Jim Nantz Eyes Retirement...At The 2036 Masters

This is assuming (presumptiously) that CBS/ABC/Viacom/ESPN/Google (CAVEG) will still hold the rights in 2036, having fought off a strong effort from NBC/Universal/Apple/GE (NUAG) after Chairman (Brian) Roberts decided it was no longer a conflict to have steered the rights to his former family company (until the Apple/GE takover).

Richard Deitsch talks to the CBS broadcaster as he prepares for another Super Bowl, followed by the NCAA Tournament and then his favorite gig, The Masters.

Oh, and 2036 because that's the 100th anniversary of the Masters...

“So Jack Whitaker if you will gave me a new goal, redefined what I want the back end of my career to look like,” Nantz said. “I know it sounds a little crazy. Here we are in 2016 talking like this. But there are great, iconic voices working in their 70s, churning out quality work. This is all subject to be reexamined but I really want to make it to 2036 health willing and CBS willing. I’d really like to do that for Jack Whitaker.

"I would be 76 years old, but there are broadcasters working at that age and even older. I love what I do. Every show is it’s own challenge and I love it. It will be a hard thing to let go of but that is one thing I would love to be able to achieve one day.”

Shark Speaks: Fox Is Now In "Tough Position" Without Me

Alan Bastable gets Greg Norman on the line to discuss his firing as Fox Sports' lead golf analyst.

Norman says Fox will struggle without him and the great chemistry he helped build.

"I think Joe Buck is actually now in a tough position, because we became great friends and I believe we had a great foundation," Norman said. "The whole team really had a good chemistry, so I think it will be a challenge to recreate the formula. I am certain Fox has someone in mind already."

Shark And Fox: Who Couldn't Have Seen It Coming?

Greg Norman put on a shirt for a change and Instagrammed some nonsense about business and life in reaction to getting fired by Fox Sports after just one year. The text, with hashtag included:

#MondayMorningMotivator "Over the years, I’ve learned that no business can stand still. There are always changes in ownership and personnel, and invariably challenges with keeping your product or service relevant and in-demand. The reality is that businesses change, they evolve. We are going to keep moving – just like a shark.”

Get it, like a Shark. Get it? Clever!

That's about what you'd expect of someone who calls himself the Living Brand, claims to call Presidents to console them, says he won the Tournament of Life and, in numerous other ways over the last few years has shown himself to be emphatically detached from reality.

The signs, even pre-Fox, did not stop Fox's David Hill from apparently committing to the Shark before hiring a producer, a decision that saddled Fox Sports' foray into golf with more than just a commentator who only sounded engaged when talking about himself or a fellow Aussie. By all insider accounts, Norman had a say in who was hired and who wasn't, effectively tying producer Mark Loomis' hands in year one of a twelve...twelve...year deal.

Of course it's not Norman's fault that the technical side of the broadcast had issues or that some of his fellow announcers were as flat as he was. But ultimately, the signs were all there that this was a bad hire and Fox deserves credit for not prolonging the agony. Oh sure, Norman may have made it easy by reportedly mailing it in on his own tournament this fall, after mailing in the first five events he worked for Fox in year one of the twelve...twelve year deal.

Still, the signs are enjoyable to recall.

There's his proclivity to post shirtless photos of himself.

Perhaps when he said he never watched golf, this was a sign he might not exactly have a knowledge of what makes a good commentator or who the heck is playing each week.

Because to be honest with you, I never watch golf. I really didn’t because I thought it was kind of boring. And the presentation was boring. So now that we have Fox on board, we are…I am really looking forward to it and I know golf is really excited about it."

And when he declared himself fair and balanced, he left out the part about being determined to talk about himself as the defining characteristic of his announce philosophy.

“My objective is not to be criticizing golfers. My objective is to be fair and balanced. If I see something that I feel is very pertinent to the situation, I will explain that view to the audience, and I want it to be very fan-friendly and informative.

When it was announced he would be conjoined with Joe Buck, it couldn't have been a good sign that they'd never met.

Or maybe it was just the fist bump at Pinehurst that should have been our warning.

Press Release: Fox & Shark "Part Ways"

Fox Sports makes the parting with Greg Norman official, but rest assured, they will continue to broadcast the Shark Shootout final round. Can't wait for those in-booth visits from the Living Brand.

For Immediate Release:

FOX Sports announces that they will be making a change to their commentary team, and Greg Norman will not return to the network’s USGA Championships coverage in 2016.  The announcement was made today by John Entz, President of Production & Executive Producer, FOX Sports.
 
Both parties have agreed to an amicable separation and will continue to work together to broadcast the Franklin Templeton Shootout, which remains an important part of FOX Sports’ golf platform.
 
“After careful consideration, we have decided to make this change to our USGA Championships coverage,” said John Entz. “We want to thank Greg for his contributions last year, and wish him success in all his current and future endeavors.”
 
“I put a lot into my role this past year and really enjoyed the time I spent with the commentary team,” said Norman. “I have a long history with FOX and wish them well on their journey showcasing USGA Championships. I also want to thank David Hill (former Head of FOX Sports) and the USGA for believing in me and instilling their vote of confidence in me from the outset.”

Shark! Greg Norman Out At Fox, Azinger In?

That's what Links Magazine is reporting on Twitter and I can confirm from a second well-placed source.

That source could not confirm, however, that Paul Azinger will be announced as Greg Norman's replacement after just a year as Fox golf's lead analyst. However, Azinger has gone very quiet of late on Twitter and has been widely rumored in recent days to be talking to Fox.

Furthermore, Azinger worked with Fox golf producer Mark Loomis when the trio of Mike Tirico-Nick Faldo and Azinger was widely revered for their fresh, fun and smart approach.

Azinger has most recently been lead analyst on ESPN's golf telecasts, but with the network down to just The Masters, his much-needed smart approach to players, championships, courses and the golf swing would be a great addition to Fox. Azinger will be an enormous upgrade over Norman, whose first year was marked largely by sounding unprepared, appearing unaware of players who were born outside Australia, and most of all, seeming very impressed with former World No. 1 Greg Norman.

If you're nostalgic, here is the Shark's first suggestion he would be Fox's lead man on USGA coverage, just hours after the announcement had been made.

Update on 2016-01-18 03:40 by Geoff

**Golfweek.com's Martin Kaufmann says the departure is essentially a firing.

During the final round of the Franklin Templeton Shootout in December, Fox put a third announcer, Brad Faxon, in the 18th tower with Norman and anchor Joe Buck. The hope, according to sources, was that Faxon’s presence would force Norman to become more engaged in the broadcast. Fox, however, apparently didn’t see a way forward with Norman.

Update on 2016-01-18 04:57 by Geoff

**Gary Van Sickle at Golf.com analyzes and offers this from a source:

Norman just wasn’t engaged in any of the FOX telecasts the way the network had hoped, the source said.

"It was tough for the whole staff because he wasn’t involved in the shows like a lead analyst should be," the source said. "Maybe he thought just being Greg Norman was enough. He's been successful in everything he's done in business but he wasn’t good at TV. He was a team player but when the cameras turned on, he just went silent."

Forward Press: Sean McDonough & Dye's Dominican Masterpiece

Other than a 1994 Shell's Wonderful World of Golf featuring Fred Couples vs. Ray Floyd, Pete Dye's Casa de Campo design hasn't been seen much on TV. Until this week.

In this week's Forward Press, I chatted with ESPN's Sean McDonough about the difficulty of working a golf broadcast featuring an almost entirely unknown field. That's the case at this week's Latin America Amateur Championship, brought to you by the Masters, USGA and R&A where a Master berth is up for grabs.

Also included are some embeds of fun "Teeth of the Dog" preview videos, including Dye reading writings about what he has said (at times) of his beloved design.

Other viewing tips include the Sony Open and a Caddyshack airing scrubbed cleaner than a Golden Globes telecast. Enjoy.