Paul Azinger

Azinger was born in Holyoke, Massachusetts; his father Ralph (1930–2013) was a navigator in the U.S. Air Force and later a businessman.{{cite book|last1=Collins|first1=Louise Mooney|last2=Speace|first2=Geri J.|title=Newsmakers, The People Behind Today's Headlines|date=1995|publisher=Gale Research Inc.|location=New York|isbn=0-8103-5745-3|pages=[https://archive.org/details/newsmakerspeople0000unse_t2w0/page/12 12–14]|url=https://archive.org/details/newsmakerspeople0000unse_t2w0/page/12}} He started in golf at age five.{{cite web |title=BPGA Tour Media Guide – Paul Azinger |url=http://www.pgatour.com/players/player.01042.paul-azinger.html/media-guide/#uber |publisher=PGA Tour |access-date=August 26, 2011}} After Ralph retired as a lieutenant colonel in 1972, he opened a marina, and Paul spent his summer pumping gas and painting boats.

The family moved to Sarasota, Florida, where he attended and graduated from Sarasota High School.

Azinger attended Brevard Community College in the late 1970s. While there, he found more time to practice his swing, playing on the team as a walk-on, and landed a summer job at the Bay Hill Golf Academy in Orlando, which allowed him more practice time. Practice earned him more opportunity, in the form of a scholarship to Florida State University in Tallahassee.

Azinger turned professional in 1981.{{cite web |title=PGA Tour Profile – Paul Azinger |url=http://www.pgatour.com/players/player.01042.html |publisher=PGA Tour |access-date=August 26, 2011}} During his early years, Azinger collected meager earnings. He and his wife, Toni, bought a used motor home, a 1983 Vogue, and drove from tournament to tournament. Azinger had a breakout year in 1987, when he won three times on the PGA Tour and had a second-place finish in the Open Championship.

Azinger won eleven tournaments on the PGA Tour in seven seasons from 1987 to 1993, climaxing in his one major title, the 1993 PGA Championship at Inverness, which he won in a sudden-death playoff against Greg Norman.

Azinger finished one shot behind Nick Faldo at the 1987 Open Championship at Muirfield after making bogey at both the 71st and 72nd holes. Azinger was bidding to become only the fourth golfer since 1945 to win the Open Championship at the first attempt{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Ew5HAAAAIBAJ&sjid=DnsMAAAAIBAJ&pg=5063,3908634&dq=nick+faldo+paul+azinger+british+open&hl=en |title=Azinger Loses Big Lead And British Open Title |newspaper=Times-Union |location=Warsaw, Indiana |first=Larry |last=Siddons |page=10 |date=July 20, 1987 |access-date=November 26, 2012}} and said that he was "heartbroken" to leave Muirfield without the Claret Jug trophy.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=tuhFAAAAIBAJ&sjid=aR8NAAAAIBAJ&pg=3359,1600926&dq=muirfield+brings+back+memories&hl=en |title=Muirfield bring back memories |newspaper=Hudson Valley News |location=Newburgh, New York |date=July 16, 1992 |first=Bob |last=Green |agency=Associated Press |page=B2 |access-date=November 26, 2012}}

At the 1991 Ryder Cup, Azinger was involved in a controversial episode with Seve Ballesteros, with whom he had a fierce rivalry. Azinger and American teammate Chip Beck were using balls of different compressions off the tee on multiple holes, in violation of an agreement between the Cup captains. Azinger initially denied that the Americans had engaged in this practice, but admitted to it once he realized that there would be no penalty assessed.{{Cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1991/10/25/ballesteros-accuses-azinger-of-lying/e916a99c-7ee9-4ee9-9ab8-a201d20f0c6c/ |title=Ballesteros accuses Azinger of lying |date=October 25, 1991 |newspaper=Washington Post |access-date=July 9, 2018}}{{Cite magazine |url=https://www.golfdigest.com/story/1991-ryder-cup-at-kiawah |title=The Rowdy Ryder Cup at Kiawah |last1=Huggan |first1=John |last2=Yocom |first2=Guy |date=July 31, 2012 |magazine=Golf Digest |access-date=July 9, 2018}}

In December 1993, Azinger was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma in his right shoulder.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/12/09/sports/golf-lymphoma-found-in-azinger-s-shoulder.html |title=Lymphoma Found in Azinger's Shoulder |first=Larry |last=Dorman |newspaper=The New York Times |date=December 9, 1993 |access-date=November 26, 2012}} His treatment included six months of chemotherapy and five weeks of radiation in California.{{cite web |title=Bio from Azinger's official site|url=http://www.paulazinger.com/bio/|access-date=August 26, 2011}} He wrote a book called Zinger about his battle with the disease and was the recipient of the GWAA Ben Hogan Award in 1995, given to the individual who has continued to be active in golf despite physical handicap or serious illness. In 2000, he won his first tournament in seven seasons at the Sony Open in Hawaii.

Azinger was the U.S. Ryder Cup captain for the 2008 at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky.{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/golf/6111626.stm |title=Azinger made US Ryder Cup captain |work=BBC Sport |date=November 6, 2006 |access-date=November 26, 2012}} He led the team to its first victory over the European squad since 1999. The team's victory was largely credited to his innovative strategy. This strategy is outlined in his book, Cracking the Code: The Winning Ryder Cup Strategy: Make it Work for You, which was released in May 2010.{{cite web |url=http://www.paulazinger.com/projects/cracking-the-code/ |title=Cracking the Code: The Winning Ryder Cup Strategy |access-date=November 26, 2012}} The book was co-authored with Ron Braund, a corporate team builder and psychologist, who consulted Azinger throughout the Ryder Cup.

Azinger made his Champions Tour debut at The ACE Group Classic in February 2010.{{cite web |url=http://www.pgatour.com/champions/news/2010/02/03/ctinsider.html |title=Insider: Tour in 'good shape' with new faces, places |first=Vartan |last=Kupelian |publisher=PGA Tour |date=February 3, 2010 |access-date=November 22, 2013}} He played four events that year and none since.

Azinger first worked in television in 1995 while recovering from chemotherapy. Azinger was recruited by lead NBC analyst Johnny Miller to join the broadcast team as an on-course reporter, a stint which included reporting on the singles match at the 1995 Ryder Cup between Tom Lehman and Azinger's former Ryder Cup rival Seve Ballesteros, who was playing in his final Ryder Cup.

After returning to the PGA Tour for several more successful playing years, Azinger returned to broadcasting on a full-time basis.

From 2005 to 2015, Azinger worked as lead analyst for ESPN and ABC Sports' golf coverage. He initially shared analyst duties with his former Ryder Cup and Open Championship rival Nick Faldo. Azinger and Faldo, along with host Mike Tirico, formed a broadcast team that was met with positive critical acclaim. Faldo left for rival CBS after the 2006 season; since then, Azinger worked alone with Tirico. However, when Faldo and Azinger were opposing captains at the 2008 Ryder Cup, Azinger's colleague Andy North filled in for him. Faldo and Azinger have also reunited as analysts on two occasions. The first reunion was at the 2007 Open Championship (for ABC) and the second was at the 2009 Presidents Cup (for the Golf Channel).

After ESPN/ABC lost its rights to both the U.S. Open and Open Championship to Fox and NBC, Azinger joined Fox Sports as its head golf analyst in 2016, replacing Greg Norman.{{cite news |title=Paul Azinger replaces Greg Norman as lead golf announcer for Fox Sports |date=January 27, 2016 |access-date=January 27, 2016 |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/golf/ct-paul-azinger-fox-golf-20160127-story.html}}

In October 2018, NBC Sports and Golf Channel named Azinger their lead golf analyst, succeeding the retiring Johnny Miller – who had originally helped give Azinger his start in broadcasting during his recovery from cancer in 1995. After Miller ended his NBC career at the 2019 Phoenix Open, Azinger became NBC’s lead analyst during the Southern Swing in March 2019. He remained with Fox for the U.S. Open, U.S Women's Open, and U.S. Amateur for the 2019 season alongside his NBC duties, until those championships returned to NBC, where Azinger had also ended up at, in 2020.{{cite news |title=Azinger named NBC Sports' new lead golf analyst |date=October 22, 2018 |access-date=January 27, 2019 |publisher=PGA Tour |url=https://www.pgatour.com/news/2018/10/22/paul-azinger-new-nbc-sports-lead-golf-analyst-2019.html}}

Azinger is a Christian. He and his wife Toni met at FSU and have been married since 1982. They have two daughters, Sarah Jean Collins and Josie Azinger Mark, and currently live in Bradenton, Florida.

Azinger gave the eulogy at the memorial service for his friend Payne Stewart, who was killed in a plane crash in 1999. His two managers and close friends, Robert Fraley and Van Ardan, also died in the crash.

Politically conservative,{{cite news |last1=Ball |first1=Off The |title=How will America's sports stars vote in the Presidential Election? |url=https://www.offtheball.com/golf/how-will-americas-sports-stars-vote-in-the-presidential-election-259945 |access-date=14 November 2019 |work=Off The Ball |date=8 Nov 2016}} Azinger refused an invitation to the White House for the winning 1993 Ryder Cup team due to what he saw as draft dodging on the part of President Bill Clinton.{{cite news |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/affinity-more-touchy-than-feely-1.938843 |title=Affinity more touchy than feely |newspaper=The Irish Times |date=September 16, 2008}} He was however persuaded to attend and said that the visit "was just wonderful".{{cite news |last1=Cummings |first1=William |title=Trump not the first president whose politics made athletes reconsider White House visit |url=https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/onpolitics/2019/05/08/red-sox-white-house-visit-other-times-athletes-politics-clashed-presidents/1138874001/ |access-date=14 November 2019 |newspaper=USA Today |date=8 May 2019}}{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1993/09/21/ryder-team-gets-thornless-sendoff-from-rose-garden/0bc227ea-cdf5-4cdc-afe5-801c0a44870f/ |title=Ryder Team Gets Thornless Sendoff From Rose Garden |newspaper=The Washington Post |first=Leonard |last=Shapiro |date=September 21, 1993}}

Azinger is an avid poker player and competed in the main event at both the 2006 World Series of Poker{{cite news |date=July 30, 2006 |title=What the ...? Hellmuth knocked out of WSOP |work=MSNBC |agency=Associated Press |url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14097426/ |url-status=dead |access-date=November 26, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070625104401/http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14097426/ |archive-date=June 25, 2007}} and the 2008 World Series of Poker.{{cite web |title=A Different Sort of Green |url=http://www.pokernews.com/live-reporting/2008-world-series-of-poker/main-event/id71641.htm#no71641}} He is an avid foosball player, and often seeks places to play foosball while traveling.{{cite news |last=Sobel |first=Jason |date=May 25, 2010 |title=Azinger pushed hard for job in '10 |work=ESPN |url=https://www.espn.com/golf/columns/story?columnist=sobel_jason&id=5215250 |access-date=November 26, 2012}}

Azinger threw out the ceremonial first pitch at the Tampa Bay Rays' second ever playoff game on October 3, 2008.[http://www.bradenton.com/breakingsports/story/924267.html Azinger to throw out first pitch at Rays game Friday] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081005081841/http://www.bradenton.com/breakingsports/story/924267.html|date=October 5, 2008}} He recently launched a new application for the iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch called Golfplan.{{cite web |title=Golfplan with Paul Azinger |url=http://golfplanpro.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121101131456/http://golfplanpro.com/ |archive-date=November 1, 2012 |access-date=November 26, 2012 |df=mdy-all}}

*Note: The 1987 Panasonic Las Vegas Invitational was shortened to 72 holes due to weather.

PGA Tour playoff record (1–2)

European Tour playoff record (3–0)

Other playoff record (1–3)

{{legend|lime|Win}}

{{legend|yellow|Top 10}}

{{legend|#eeeeee|Did not play}}

CUT = missed the half way cut

WD = Withdrew

"T" indicates a tie for a place.

• Most consecutive cuts made – 9 (1999 U.S. Open – 2001 PGA)
• Longest streak of top-10s – 2 (1989 U.S. Open – 1989 Open Championship)

{{legend|yellow|Top 10}}

{{legend|#eeeeee|Did not play}}

CUT = missed the halfway cut

"T" indicates a tie for a place

¹Cancelled due to 9/11

{{legend|yellow|Top 10}}

{{legend|#eeeeee|Did not play}}

QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play

"T" = Tied

NT = No tournament

• Ryder Cup:
• Player: 1989 (tie), 1991 (winners), 1993 (winners), 2002
• Captain: 2008 (winners)
• World Cup: 1989
• Presidents Cup: 2000 (winners)
• UBS Warburg Cup: 2002 (winners)
• Wendy's 3-Tour Challenge (representing PGA Tour): 1993, 1994 (winners)

• Fall 1981 PGA Tour Qualifying School graduates
• 1983 PGA Tour Qualifying School graduates
• 1984 PGA Tour Qualifying School graduates
• List of Florida State Seminoles men's golfers
• List of men's major championships winning golfers

{{Reflist}}

• {{official website|http://www.paulazinger.com}}
• {{PGATour player|01042}}
• {{EuroTour player|4101}}
• {{OWGR|20}}

{{PGA Champions}}

{{PGA Players of the Year}}

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{{1989 United States Ryder Cup team}}

{{1991 United States Ryder Cup team}}

{{1993 United States Ryder Cup team}}

{{2002 United States Ryder Cup team}}

{{2008 United States Ryder Cup team}}

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{{2000 United States Presidents Cup team}}

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Category:American male golfers

Category:Florida State Seminoles men's golfers

Category:PGA Tour golfers

Category:PGA Tour Champions golfers

Category:Winners of men's major golf championships

Category:Ryder Cup competitors for the United States

Category:American golf commentators

Category:Golfers from Massachusetts

Category:Golfers from Florida

Category:Eastern Florida State College people

Category:Sportspeople from Holyoke, Massachusetts

Category:Sportspeople from Sarasota, Florida

Category:Sarasota High School alumni

Category:1960 births

Category:Living people

Category:Presidents Cup competitors for the United States

Category:20th-century American sportsmen