Paul Azinger Facts: 20 Things To Know About The Major-Winning Broadcaster

Paul Azinger is one of the most familiar faces in the game, and not just because he had a hugely successful playing career.

The Major champion has also had a distinguished broadcasting career, and that’s set to continue with a move to the Golf Channel as its lead analyst for the PGA Tour Champions.

Here are 20 things you may not know about the American.

1. Paul Azinger was born in Holyoke, Massachusetts on 6 January 1960 and began playing golf aged five.

2. After attending Florida State University, he turned professional in 1981.

3. During the early years of his professional career, Azinger struggled to make ends meet, so he bought a used motor home to travel between tournaments.

4. Azinger made 587 starts on the PGA Tour throughout his career, collecting 12 wins.

5. Azinger’s one Major victory came in the 1993 PGA Championship when he beat Greg Norman in a playoff.

6. He famously had a spat with Seve Ballesteros at the 1989 Ryder Cup at The Belfry. The Spaniard requested his damaged ball be replaced but Azinger successfully objected. Later, Ballesteros disputed a drop his opponent took out of the water.

Two years later at the match there was another ball dispute, leading to Ballesteros to accuse Azinger of being a liar, with Azinger responding that Ballesteros was “the king of gamesmanship.”

7. In 1993, Azinger was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, which he beat after undergoing six months of chemotherapy and five weeks of radiation treatment.

8. Azinger was one of the early adopters of the long putter.

9. He began working in broadcasting in 1995, first as an on-course reporter for NBC. From 2005 to 2014 he was lead analyst for ESPN and ABC Sports’ golf coverage, before taking on the same role at Fox Sports then NBC.

10. He made a shock departure from NBC in November 2023 when the broadcaster opted not to renew his contract, but will return to broadcasting as lead analyst of the Golf Channel's PGA Tour Champions coverage in 2025.

11. Azinger was US captain in the 2008 Ryder Cup at Valhalla, where he led the team to victory.

12. At the match, he introduced a strategy known as the "pod system," which was inspired by Navy SEALs, and involved grouping players into smaller teams to build morale and camaraderie.

13. He co-authored a book, Cracking The Code, about his successful Ryder Cup strategy.

14. He threw out the ceremonial first pitch at the Tampa Bay Rays' second-ever playoff game in October 2008.

15. In a 2016 interview for USGA.org, Azinger described his experience of leading the Ryder Cup team as his best moment in golf. He said: "My best moment came when I never touched a club. Leading the Ryder Cup was so special for me. It changed how I view people, how I could appreciate and communicate with different personalities."

16. There is far more than just golf to Azinger. He also enjoys fishing, is an avid foosball player and also excels at poker. He is also a big motorcycle enthusiast and owns several.

17. Azinger played in the televised World Series of Poker in 2006 and 2008.

18. Has has also dabbled in course design, and in 2024, ground was broken on an exclusive course he’s had a hand in designing at Miakka Golf Club in Florida.

19. His nickname is "Zinger".

20. He met his wife, Toni, while at Florida State University and they married in 1982. The couple has two daughters.