Paul Azinger no longer provides PGA Tour analysis on NBC but that didn’t stop the former broadcaster to opine on the state of golf.
In an interview with Golfweek’s Adam Schupak last weekend, the 12-time tour winner was blunt with his analysis on a host of issues.
Here are Zingers quotes, curated:
1. On his forced retirement: “There’s always something to do, wash the wheels of your car. It’s not too bad, and I’m not looking for a job either. I’ve had two full careers. I played the Tour for 30 years, I broadcast for about 18 years. I’m enjoying my life right now. I didn’t know I could enjoy it this much. I’m serious, I wake up with no schedule. It’s weird and it’s nice.”
2. On the breakup with NBC: “They offered me the job. We had the weeks, the amount of days. Essentially, I was going to be on the road for two more weeks, and I wasn’t gonna make the same amount of money. So we’re making a counteroffer. Dan and I already had talked about it. I was ready to keep going. I thought I was gonna go for about five more years to be honest. I thought I would do at least one more year and then sign a four-year deal. They made the offer, my agent said ‘no, we’ll counteroffer the next day’. And they said, ‘Sorry, we’re moving on.’”
3. On who’s to blame at NBC: “Sam Flood (NBC Sports executive vice president & president of production) came in and was just, you know, just an a-hole about it. All we were doing was making a counteroffer, and they said, ‘No, that was take it or leave.’ And I said, ‘Sam, was that presented to us as take it or leave it?’ ‘It’s complicated, Zinger,’ he said. I talked to him for 23-24 minutes and every time I would ask him a question, it would be like, ‘Are you upset or something?’ We had [the parameters of a deal] done. Are we not supposed to negotiate with you? And he wouldn’t say anything. And it was like, ‘nope, we’re moving on.’ There was never anything like ‘Zinger, this is all we can do. This is our best shot.’ “My poor manager he’s sitting there like, ‘What happened?’ That’s how it went down. We just wish it would have ended differently, because honestly, I’m kind of happy it ended.”
4. On his broadcasting career as a whole: “For me to be able to do NBC was the greatest opportunity and blessing. I was the lead analyst at ABC, at ESPN, and at NBC and that was awesome. I’ve had two full careers and it was a great run. I’m so grateful that I had the chance to do NBC. I wish it could have ended up better for me. I was ready to keep going and I thought we were negotiating in good faith.”
5. On the current PGA Tour product: “The best players aren’t all playing PGA Tour tournaments. That’s over. Suddenly, the LIV Tour, let’s just say it like this: the PGA Tour has fast become the qualifier for LIV and it’s a sad day for golf… Yeah, I’ve watched a little bit and I’m not I’m not missing it that much. I’m not missing it at all.”
6. On NBC’s struggles: “Well, there was no plan going forward except to make the broadcast less expensive. I think they’re going to settle on whatever is less expensive. Everything since I got there was just budget cut after budget cut. Everything was to make the broadcast cost less money. We went from having towers to all in the same booth. We eliminated a couple of drones. Occasionally, you lose the airplane or the blimp and then you lose the speed shots, that one big camera that covers the ball, you know from the tee as it flies over the water. You know they’re gonna pour all their money into the Players.”
7. On who should replace him at NBC: “Charles Barkley should be the analyst. He understands what it’s like for an athlete to try to pull it off at the end when his whole life is committed to something and he’s got his chance and the world’s watching. Barkley knows what that feels like. But Barkley probably is going to be more expensive, so that’s not what they’re shooting for … that’s the reality. Everything is about making it less expensive. It’s a shame.”
8. On one day working for LIV: “I would not rule that out. But it ain’t gonna happen. It would be stupid for me to say, ‘oh, no, I’m ruling that out.’ I don’t rule anything out except the Tour.”
9. On Jay Monahan working behind scenes with PIF: “He didn’t even tell Jack. He (Jay) gave that report in front of Jack and the heads of the USGA, R&A, PGA, the Masters. There’s about 15 of us in there and I think understandably, everyone in that room is a little down on Jay. He’d been negotiating with (PIF) for six months. What the heck, why didn’t you tell everybody that? Why didn’t you just say that? That could have been when he let it out but he didn’t and he started the battle and then he switched teams in the middle of it and Rory’s fallen on the sword for him, you know? He’s working his butt off, you got to give him credit that he’s hung in there somehow, I guess, and you got to give him credit that he’s putting together billions of dollars because it appears to be the case. His intentions are to do the best for the players but he just didn’t handle it right.”
10. On the PGA Tour again: “I don’t want to get in too much hot water and make big headlines or anything but the best players aren’t on the PGA Tour. They’re scattered all over the place and that’s a sad day that’s similar to what happened in tennis. The best players are going to be at the four majors, just like tennis, and it’s unfolding right before our eyes.”
