Fox Releases the Shark back into the Ocean
Last year, FTVLive told you that Fox had taken the broadcast rights for the US Open and other USGA events from NBC, by paying the USGA a boatload of money.
The network's try at golf coverage for the first time was like a hacker trying to tee it up with the pros.
"With technical errors, camera operators that did not know how to shoot golf and Joe Buck in the booth it was painful to watch," FTVLive wrote back on June 22nd.
Now, Fox has given one of two the guys in the booth the hook. Which means there are 50% to at least fixing their main announcers.
Former PGA star and Hall of Famer Greg Norman has been shown the door by Fox and will be replaced on the broadcasts.
“After careful consideration, we have decided to make this change to our USGA Championships coverage,” Fox Sports EP John Entz said. “We want to thank Greg for his contributions last year, and wish him success in all his current and future endeavors.”
Problem is, Fox needs to dump Joe Buck as well. And that's something the network likely will not do. While Buck maybe OK at Baseball and Football coverage, last year proved he is way out of his league when it comes to covering golf.
With Buck being their main sports announcer, there is almost no chance of the network doing the right thing and dumping Buck as well.
It is likely that Fox will hire former PGA player Paul Azinger as Norman’s replacement. Azinger has been working for ABC/ESPN on their golf coverage and will be a huge improvement over Norman.
But, he'll still have to sit alongside Joe Buck and that means, while the coverage might get better, it will still have a long way to go.