Azinger, Paul

Golf Professional and Broadcaster

After spending his collegiate days as a member of the Florida State University golf team, Azinger went on to capture 17 worldwide wins as a professional, including 12 PGA TOUR victories and the 1993 PGA Championship at Inverness Club in Ohio. He also served as a winning Ryder Cup captain, leading the 2008 United States team to victory at Valhalla Golf Club in Kentucky.

In the aftermath of his breakthrough major championship victory at the PGA Championship, Azinger was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma. After battling the disease for months with intensive chemotherapy and radiation, he was able to return to golf and received the Golf Writers Association of America’s Ben Hogan Award in 1995, which recognizes a professional golfer who remains active in the sport despite serious illness or physical handicap. Azinger’s comeback was fully realized in 2000, when at the age of 40, he won the Sony Open in Hawaii.

Following a successful playing career, Azinger turned to television, serving as the lead golf analyst for ABC and subsequently ESPN from 2006-’15, and later Fox Sports in 2016 for its slate of USGA Championships.

Paul Azinger joined NBC Sports in 2019, replacing Johnny Miller in the 18th tower as the network’s lead golf analyst. In addition to his role on NBC Sports’ live tournament coverage of the PGA TOUR, Azinger occasionally contributes to Golf Central Live From news coverage on GOLF Channel from the sport’s biggest events.

Azinger enjoys many hobbies off the course, including an affinity for poker and foosball, as well as maintaining a consistent schedule of all types of fishing. Azinger and his wife Toni reside in Bradenton, Fla., near their daughters Josie and Sarah Jean, and they are proud grandparents of Campbell and Houston.