| Paul Azinger | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) Azinger in 2005 | |||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Full name | Paul William Azinger | ||||||
| Nickname | Zinger | ||||||
| Born | (1960-01-06)January 6, 1960 (age 66) Holyoke, Massachusetts, U.S. | ||||||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||
| Weight | 175 lb (79 kg; 12 st 7 lb) | ||||||
| Sporting nationality |  United States | ||||||
| Residence | Bradenton, Florida, U.S. | ||||||
| Career | |||||||
| College | Brevard Community College Florida State University | ||||||
| Turned professional | 1981 | ||||||
| Former tours | PGA Tour Champions Tour | ||||||
| Professional wins | 16 | ||||||
| Highestranking | 4 (August 22, 1993)[1][2] | ||||||
| Number of wins by tour | |||||||
| PGA Tour | 12 | ||||||
| European Tour | 2 | ||||||
| Other | 2 | ||||||
| Best results in major championships (wins: 1) | |||||||
| Masters Tournament | 5th:1998 | ||||||
| PGA Championship | Won:1993 | ||||||
| U.S. Open | T3:1993 | ||||||
| The Open Championship | T2:1987 | ||||||
| Achievements and awards | |||||||
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| Signature | |||||||
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Paul William Azinger (born January 6, 1960) is an American professionalgolfer and TV golfanalyst.[3] He won 12 times on thePGA Tour, including one major championship, the1993 PGA Championship. He spentalmost 300 weeks in the top-10 of theOfficial World Golf Ranking between 1988 and 1994.[4]
Azinger was born inHolyoke, Massachusetts;[5] his father Ralph (1930–2013) was a navigator in theU.S. Air Force and later a businessman.[6] He started in golf at age five.[7] After Ralph retired as alieutenant colonel in 1972, he opened a marina, and Paul spent his summer pumping gas and painting boats.[6]
The family moved toSarasota, Florida, where he attended and graduated fromSarasota High School.
Azinger attendedBrevard 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 toFlorida State University inTallahassee.[6]
Azinger turned professional in 1981.[5] 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 theOpen Championship.[6]
Azinger won eleven tournaments on the PGA Tour in seven seasons from 1987 to 1993, climaxing in his onemajor title, the1993 PGA Championship at Inverness, which he won in a sudden-death playoff againstGreg Norman.
Azinger finished one shot behindNick Faldo at the1987 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[8] and said that he was "heartbroken" to leave Muirfield without theClaret Jug trophy.[9]
At the1991 Ryder Cup, Azinger was involved in a controversial episode withSeve Ballesteros, with whom he had afierce rivalry. Azinger and American teammateChip 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.[10][11]
In December 1993, Azinger was diagnosed withnon-Hodgkin lymphoma in his right shoulder.[12] His treatment included six months ofchemotherapy and five weeks of radiation inCalifornia.[13] He wrote a book calledZinger about his battle with the disease[7] 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 theSony Open in Hawaii.
Azinger was the U.S.Ryder Cup captain for the2008 atValhalla Golf Club inLouisville, Kentucky.[14] 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.[7][15] The book was co-authored with Ron Braund, a corporate team builder and psychologist, who consulted Azinger throughout the Ryder Cup.
Azinger made hisChampions Tour debut atThe ACE Group Classic in February 2010.[16] 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 analystJohnny Miller to join the broadcast team as an on-course reporter, a stint which included reporting on the singles match at the1995 Ryder Cup betweenTom Lehman and Azinger's former Ryder Cup rivalSeve 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 forESPN andABC Sports' golf coverage. He initially shared analyst duties with his former Ryder Cup and Open Championship rivalNick Faldo. Azinger and Faldo, along with hostMike Tirico, formed a broadcast team that was met with positive critical acclaim. Faldo left for rivalCBS after the 2006 season; since then, Azinger worked alone with Tirico. However, when Faldo and Azinger were opposing captains at the2008 Ryder Cup, Azinger's colleagueAndy North filled in for him. Faldo and Azinger have also reunited as analysts on two occasions. The first reunion was at the2007 Open Championship (for ABC) and the second was at the2009 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 joinedFox Sports as its head golf analyst in 2016, replacingGreg Norman.[17]
In October 2018,NBC Sports andGolf 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 2019Phoenix 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.[18]
Azinger is aChristian. 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,[13] and currently live inBradenton, Florida.
Azinger gave the eulogy at the memorial service for his friendPayne Stewart, who was killed in aplane crash in 1999.[7] His two managers and close friends, Robert Fraley and Van Ardan, also died in the crash.
Politicallyconservative,[19] Azinger refused an invitation to theWhite House for the winning1993 Ryder Cup team due to what he saw asdraft dodging on the part ofPresidentBill Clinton.[20] He was however persuaded to attend and said that the visit "was just wonderful".[21][22]
Azinger is an avidpoker player and competed in the main event at both the2006 World Series of Poker[23] and the2008 World Series of Poker.[13][24] He is an avidfoosball player, and often seeks places to play foosball while traveling.[25]
Azinger threw out the ceremonial first pitch at theTampa Bay Rays' second ever playoff game on October 3, 2008.[26] He recently launched a new application for theiPad,iPhone, andiPod Touch called Golfplan.[13][27]
Azinger was awarded thePayne Stewart Award in 2025.[28]
| Legend |
|---|
| Major championships (1) |
| Tour Championships (1) |
| Other PGA Tour (10) |
PGA Tour playoff record (1–2)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1989 | Bob Hope Chrysler Classic |  Steve Jones, Sandy Lyle | Jones won with birdie on first extra hole |
| 2 | 1990 | Doral-Ryder Open | Mark Calcavecchia, Greg Norman,Tim Simpson | Norman won with eagle on first extra hole |
| 3 | 1993 | PGA Championship | Greg Norman | Won with par on second extra hole |
| Legend |
|---|
| Major championships (1) |
| Other European Tour (2) |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sep 23,1990 | BMW International Open | −11 (63-73-73-68=277) | Playoff |  David Feherty |
| 2 | Aug 9,1992 | BMW International Open (2) | −22 (66-67-66-67=266) | Playoff | Glen Day, Anders Forsbrand, Mark James, Bernhard Langer |
| 3 | Aug 15,1993 | PGA Championship | −12 (69-66-69-68=272) | Playoff | Greg Norman |
European Tour playoff record (3–0)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1990 | BMW International Open | David Feherty | Won with birdie on first extra hole |
| 2 | 1992 | BMW International Open | Glen Day,Anders Forsbrand,Mark James,Bernhard Langer | Won with birdie on first extra hole |
| 3 | 1993 | PGA Championship | Greg Norman | Won with par on second extra hole |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aug 23, 1988 | Fred Meyer Challenge (with Bob Tway) | −19 (62-63=125) | 1 stroke | Andy Bean andRaymond Floyd |
| 2 | Aug 20, 1991 | Fred Meyer Challenge (2) (with Ben Crenshaw) | −19 (63-62=125) | Playoff | Mark Calcavecchia andBob Gilder,Fred Couples andRaymond Floyd |
Other playoff record (1–3)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1985 | Magnolia Classic | Jim Gallagher Jr. | Lost to birdie on first extra hole |
| 2 | 1991 | Fred Meyer Challenge (with Ben Crenshaw) | Mark Calcavecchia andBob Gilder,Fred Couples andRaymond Floyd | Won with birdie on second extra hole Calcavecchia/Gilder eliminated by par on first hole |
| 3 | 1995 | Fred Meyer Challenge (with Payne Stewart) | Brad Faxon andGreg Norman | Lost to birdie on first extra hole |
| 4 | 1999 | JCPenney Classic (with  Pak Se-ri) | John Daly andLaura Davies | Lost to birdie on third extra hole |
| Year | Championship | 54 holes | Winning score | Margin | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | PGA Championship | 1 shot deficit | −12 (69-66-69-68=272) | Playoff | Greg Norman |
| Tournament | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | T17 | CUT | T14 | ||||
| U.S. Open | CUT | CUT | 34 | CUT | T6 | T9 | |
| The Open Championship | T2 | T47 | T8 | ||||
| PGA Championship | CUT | CUT | CUT | 2 | CUT |
| Tournament | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | CUT | 52 | T31 | CUT | T17 | T18 | T28 | 5 | CUT | |
| U.S. Open | T24 | CUT | T33 | T3 | CUT | T67 | T28 | T14 | T12 | |
| The Open Championship | T48 | T59 | T59 | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT | |||
| PGA Championship | T31 | T33 | 1 | CUT | T31 | T31 | T29 | T13 | T41 |
| Tournament | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | T28 | T15 | CUT | |||||||
| U.S. Open | T12 | T5 | CUT | |||||||
| The Open Championship | T7 | WD | ||||||||
| PGA Championship | T24 | T22 | CUT | CUT | T55 | CUT | CUT | T63 | CUT |
CUT = missed the half way cut
WD = Withdrew
"T" indicates a tie for a place.
| Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 15 | 10 |
| U.S. Open | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 18 | 12 |
| The Open Championship | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 12 | 7 |
| PGA Championship | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 23 | 13 |
| Totals | 1 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 10 | 22 | 68 | 42 |
| Tournament | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Players Championship | CUT | T64 | 6 | T30 | T14 | CUT | T3 | T29 | T6 | CUT | CUT | T14 | CUT | CUT | T17 | T7 | CUT | CUT | T64 |
CUT = missed the halfway cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
| Tournament | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Match Play | R32 | R64 | 4 | ||
| Championship | NT1 | T43 | |||
| Invitational | T8 | T5 | T38 | T39 |
1Cancelled due to9/11
QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play
"T" = Tied
NT = No tournament
Paul Azinger at theRyder Cup | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Won: 21.5 – 10.5 | ||
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
