Rich Lerner Facts: 11 Things To Know About Golf Channel Presenter

Rich Lerner presenting on the Golf Channel from The Open

(Image credit: Getty Images)

published 22 November 2024

A stalwart of the golf broadcasting industry, Rich Lerner is a veteran that has spent years on our TV screens as part of the NBC Sports golf team.

Find out more about him with these facts...

Rich Lerner Facts

1. Born 10 November, 1960, Lerner grew up in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

2. Lerner was introduced to golf as a child by his father, and later worked at the miniture golf course and driving range his dad owned.

3. He graduted from Temple University in 1983.

4. Lerner joined Golf Channel in 1997 and has had a variety of roles, now hosting Golf Central and Golf Central Live From when the production travels to big tournament venues and also doing play-by-play.

5. He's known for the broadcast essays he does before and after big events on Golf Channel, and has also done in-depth specials such as “New York Stories”, “Courage on the Fairways” and “Tiger Woods, Millennium Man” to name just a few.

6. Lerner and his wife Robin have two sons, Jesse and Jack.

John Daly talks to Golf Channel's Rich Lerner

7. Rich and Robin host The December Classic, a charity Pro-Am golf tournament in Orlando, Florida, which raises money for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women & Babies.

8. Since he works for NBC, Lerner has also been deployed to four Olympics, three summer Games in 2016, 2021 and 2024, covering golf and gymnastics, and one Winter Olympics in 2018.

9. He has been heavily involved in the Golf Channel's GOLF Films unit - writing and producing several projects that were nominated for Emmy awards.

10. Lerner was given a Women’s Sports Foundation Journalism Award for a documentary he did on Se Ri Pak named A Champion’s Journey.

11. Lerner has won the prestigious Lew Klein Award for Excellence in Broadcasting from Temple University.

Paul Higham is a sports journalist with over 20 years of experience in covering most major sporting events for both Sky Sports and BBC Sport. He is currently freelance and covers the golf majors on the BBC Sport website. Highlights over the years include covering that epic Monday finish in the Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor and watching Rory McIlroy produce one of the most dominant Major wins at the 2011 US Open at Congressional. He also writes betting previews and still feels strangely proud of backing Danny Willett when he won the Masters in 2016 - Willett also praised his putting stroke during a media event before the Open at Hoylake. Favourite interviews he's conducted have been with McIlroy, Paul McGinley, Thomas Bjorn, Rickie Fowler and the enigma that is Victor Dubuisson. A big fan of watching any golf from any tour, sadly he spends more time writing about golf than playing these days with two young children, and as a big fair weather golfer claims playing in shorts is worth at least five shots. Being from Liverpool he loves the likes of Hoylake, Birkdale and the stretch of tracks along England's Golf Coast, but would say his favourite courses played are Kingsbarns and Portrush.

Rich Lerner Facts

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