Curt Byrum to replace outgoing Paul Azinger at NBC Sports during the Hero World Challenge

As Paul Azinger stepped down from the position as the lead golf analyst for NBC Sport, Curt Byrum is set to take his seat at the 2023 Hero World Challenge. The tournament is scheduled to take place from November 30 to December 3 in the Bahamas.

Paul Azinger, who joined NBC in 2018 as the lead golf analyst, will no longer be part of the channel as his five-year contract expired. He did not wish to extend the contract with the company and decided to step down from his position.

As per Sports Illustrated, Azinger was not fired from NBC, but the deal broke in the middle of the contract negotiation. As his contract with NBC came to an end this year, the company offered an extension of one year. However, they could not agree on financial terms as the new contract offers less than Azinger's current contract.

The executive producer and president of production for NBC Sports Sam Flood released a statement thanking Azinger for his dedication and work. He stated as quoted by SI:

“We want to thank Paul for his work with us over the last five years. His insights, work ethic and relationships in the golf industry are well known, and we appreciate what he brought to our team. We wish Paul the best in his future endeavors."

The 2023 Hero World Challenge will now officially be hosted by Curt Byrum. After a lengthy break, fifteen-time major champion Tiger Woods is making his comeback at the tournament.

Woods has formally entered the elite group of 20 golfers, which also includes world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and reigning champion Viktor Hovland.

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Who is Curt Byrum?

Curt Byrum is a former professional American golfer, who played on the PGA Tour. Born on December 28, 1958, Bryum started his professional journey playing on the Nationwide Tour before earning the PGA Tour card.

His elder brother, Tom, is also a PGA Tour golfer. Bryum learned golf by playing with his brother on a nine-hole golf course in South Dakota, his birthplace.

Curt Bryum was a gifted athlete and besides golf, he was exceptionally good at basketball and football. However, after he attended the University of New Mexico, Bryum focused on his golfing career. He played the sport for his college golf team. He started his professional journey in 1982 and a year later joined the PGA Tour.

Curt Bryum has won five tournaments in his career. He has two Korn Ferry Tour titles and one PGA Tour victory under his belt. In addition, Bryum participated in all four majors during his career, placing T14 at the 1987 PGA Championship and T36 at the 1995 US Open. He was unable to make the cut at the other two majors, though.

In 2001, he became a member of The Golf Channel and began pursuing a broadcasting career.