Last month Golfweek was first to report that Brad Faxon and Smylie Kaufman would be joining NBC Sports and Golf Channel in 2023 to fill the places of Gary Koch and Roger Maltbie. On Tuesday the network made the move official.
Faxon, an eight-time winner on the PGA Tour, will be a hole announcer and contributor for NBC Sports’ studio coverage and will debut next month at the Honda Classic. Kaufman, also a winner on Tour, will join Notah Begay III, Arron Oberholser and John Wood as an on-course reporter. The network also announced that Curt Byrum will serve as an announcer, taking the place of fan-favorite David Feherty, who left to work for LIV Golf.
“We have the deepest roster in the game and are excited to showcase our new voices in Brad and Smylie as well as familiar faces in new roles as we start the 2023 PGA Tour season this week at Kapalua,” said Molly Solomon, Golf Channel’s executive producer.
Maltbie, 71, and Koch, 70, were told the network wanted to “refresh” its team. Meanwhile, Golf.com has reported Mark Rolfing, 73, has re-upped with the network with a multi-year deal that begins this week at the Sentry Tournament of Champions.
Damon Hack and Cara Banks will be reporters for tournament coverage while Dan Hicks and Paul Azinger will return to their respective play-by-play and lead analyst roles for a fifth consecutive year.