Cara Banks to lead NBC’s LPGA coverage as play-by-play announcer

A staple of NBC’s golf coverage is taking on a new role.

Cara Banks, who joined Golf Channel in 2015 as a host of Morning Drive and is now an integral member of NBC Sports’ golf team as a reporter, will step into the booth during this weekend’s coverage of the Chevron Championship, one of the five major championships on the LPGA calendar. Banks joined NBC Sports full-time from Golf Channel as part of the recent Versant spinoff.

According to a report by Beth Ann Nichols in Golfweek, Banks will serve as a play-by-play announcer for the third round and final round on NBC. She’ll work alongside analysts Morgan Pressel, Tom Abbott, and Paige Mackenzie, with Jim “Bones Mackay” and Emilia Doran serving as on-course reporters. Amy Rogers will step into the reporter role and conduct interviews.

It’s not the first time Banks has served as a play-by-play announcer for an LPGA event. Last season, she worked the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions, the Mizuho Americas Open, and called lead-in coverage for the U.S. Women’s Open.

Whether this role will mark a permanent shift for Banks is unclear. The veteran reporter has continued to conduct interviews during PGA Tour coverage on NBC this season. However, the move certainly signals an elevation in the eyes of NBC Sports executives who have entrusted her to call a major championship.

NBC’s coverage of the Chevron Championship begins at 1 p.m. ET this Saturday.