Why is Amanda Balionis missing from The Open | Golf News

As the 153rd Open Championship tees off at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland, golf lovers worldwide are tuning in to watch the world’s best gamers vie for the title.

Scottie Scheffler is main the event heading into the weekend, with Shane Lowry complementing the world No. 1’s sport in Northern Ireland. But followers may be questioning about the absence of Amanda Balionis, a acquainted face at main PGA Tour occasions.

The 39-year-old interviewer’s absence from the championship protection boils down to broadcasting rights. Balionis is a CBS correspondent, but The Open is being aired on NBC and USA channels.

The latter kicked off the protection on Thursday and also offered early protection for the third spherical on Saturday, as nicely as Sunday’s last rounds.

On the opposite hand, NBC took over the primary protection on Saturday and will proceed to broadcast the first TV protection for the ultimate spherical on Sunday. Fans can also stream some event protection on the streaming service Peacock.

So, who’s stepping in for CBS’s event protection? Cara Banks, half of the NBC Sports golf workforce, can be conducting interviews alongside Kira Okay. Dixon. Banks has an spectacular resume, having beforehand labored on Golf Channel’s Morning Drive program, Golf Central, and Golf Central Live. She also had a stint at Golfing World in the UK.

Banks has one other tie to the game through her husband, Ollie, who is the co-team principal of the LIV Golf workforce Majesticks GC. The couple, married for seven years, share three kids.

Ollie Banks, who beforehand served as the pinnacle of participant strategy and development for the European Tour and an account govt, is also at the helm of CM Management, striving to be the “agency of choice for any athlete or brand trying to maximize their level of performance within sport.”

Banks just lately posted a slideshow of her kids’s photographs, sharing that she cherished a “precious few weeks of summer at home” before diving back into work at The Open.

This yr’s competitors sees 156 gamers vying for the Claret Jug, with American Xander Schauffele defending his title. In 2019, when the occasion was final at Portrush, Lowry of Ireland emerged victorious.

The champion stands to gain a whopping $3.1 million, with the full prize money hitting $17 million. Schauffele pocketed $3.1 million at Royal Troon final yr, while Brian Harmon earned $3 million at Royal Liverpool the earlier yr.

Golf Channel and NBC’s Brandel Chamblee weighed in on the event’s distinctive challenges, noting that “inclement weather, rain, spin, luck of the draw, or a bounce affect the outcome more than any other major championship.”

He added: “It’s the major with the slowest greens… So you combine all those, and it gives us the oldest and most unlikely prize. It’s a young man’s game; it’s a power game, but not at The Open Championship.”