[PHOTO: Icon Sportswire]
Golf fans who wince at the mere thought of Brandel Chamblee’s existence might want to rearrange their plans for this coming weekend. That is, if those plans involved taking in any of the American Express tournament in the California desert.
Chamblee, who has become a divisive figure on social media due to his stance on the PGA Tour–LIV Golf saga, will slide into the analyst chair for the PGA Tour’s third event of 2024. Golf Channel’s talking head will sit alongside play-by-play man Terry Gannon in the 18th hole tower for all four rounds, which can be seen in Australia via Kayo and Fox Sports.
The move is not a permanent one, as this is now the third different analyst for NBC’s golf coverage in 2024 as the network continues to try to find a replacement for Paul Azinger, whose contract was not renewed this past November. Four-time PGA Tour winner Kevin Kisner got his first tryout at the Sentry event earlier this month, while longtime Golf Channel analyst Curt Byrum took over last week at the Sony Open in Hawaii. Prior to that, Paul McGinley called the action at the Hero World Challenge in early December. Chamblee is the latest in what appears to be a rotating cast of characters.
While lead analyst has never been Chamblee’s main role, it’s not one that is foreign to him. He has filled in before, as recently as last year’s Open Championship when he and “Live From” co-host Rich Lerner called the action while NBC switched from its morning broadcast team to its evening one.
