CBS’ Amanda Balionis has carved out a successful career for herself in the golf reporting space. But there was a time in her career when she wasn’t able to rest herself.
During a recent Q&A with Links Magazine, the 39-year-old Balionis was asked about the athlete or personality she’s been most nervous to interview. She was also asked about her role model—Jim Nantz—and her first interview. That first interview wasn’t with Tiger Woods; it was with Ernie Els.
But it wasn’t the first interview that made Balionis nervous; it was interviewing Woods as a young reporter.
“Tiger Woods, for sure,” she says. “When I started with PGATour.com, I think Tiger was my second-ever sit-down interview. I’m very thankful the camera angle was from the waist up; my legs were shaking uncontrollably from nervousness. I lost a lot of sleep before that interview.”
Woods is generally easygoing and cooperative with journalists. Even though he’s a public figure, he’s always been open to talking with reporters. While the media coverage can sometimes be a bit over-the-top, Woods has proven to be deft at handling these situations and doing so in a professional manner.
Suffice it to say, none of that mattered to Balionis, who claims she lost a lot of sleep before interviewing the 15-time major winner. Fortunately, the camera was from the waist up, as her legs were like pudding. But there’s undoubtedly a time or two where Woods has likely been nervous in his profession, although you might not be able to tell.
But luckily that wasn’t the defining moment of her career for Balionis, who began her career covering the PGA Tour in 2011 before joining CBS in 2017. She also shared that in the Q&A, and it’s not Tiger Woods-related.
“A couple come to mind. The Dustin Johnson interview after he won the 2020 Masters, when he got vulnerable with us,” she adds. “Presiding over the trophy presentation after Phil Mickelson won the 2021 PGA Championship was unbelievable; understanding the historic element and witnessing the crowds ushering him up to the 72nd green. That’s an image I’ll never forget.”
And despite those early jitters, she’s carved out quite a successful career for herself.
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.