Kathryn Tappen will be the new lead interviewer for NBC Golf in 2022 which will include coverage of the PGA Tour, USGA championships, and The (British) Open Championship.
Known mainly for her work in the hockey space, Tappen is a New Jersey native who graduated from Rutgers in 2003. She made her name locally in Boston as a studio host on New England Sports Network (NESN), a regional sports network covering the Red Sox and Bruins.
Tappen, who was married (2009) to former NHL player Jay Leach for six years, moved to the NHL Network in 2011, and then to NBC as the studio host for their NHL coverage in 2014.
With NBC’s NHL TV contract having expired in 2021, Tappen will now take her talents to the golf course.
Her new role will start in February 2022, with the Honda Classic at PGA National – the first leg of the tour’s annual Florida Swing.
The 40-year-old will replace Steve Sands, who will reportedly take on a larger role with NBC Golf.
“I’ve had the privilege of working with Kathryn on our Notre Dame football games, so I’ve seen her work ethic and reporting abilities up close. They are outstanding,” said Dan Hicks, NBC’s underrated play-by-play man.
“Not to mention her interviewing skills, which will undoubtedly give the viewers excellent insight from the players trying to win these great championships we get to broadcast.”
Some of the other high-profile tour stops on NBC’s schedule in 2022 include The PLAYERS Championship, the Arnold Palmer Invitational, the Tour Championship, and the Presidents Cup.
Tappen regularly tees it up in celebrity tournaments, including the American Century Celebrity Golf Championship at Lake Tahoe.
“I’ve played forever. I love the game,” said Tappen in a press statement. “I grew up earning how to hit sand shots at our beach house in Maine, just hacking away, teeing up golf balls and hitting them in the ocean off the deck. And it’s just, it’s been a part of my life, my whole life.”
h/t: James Colgan, Golf.com
