Last October, Fox Sports announced that one of the network’s marquee hires, former Golf Channel Morning Drive host Holly Sonders, would no longer be a part of its golf broadcasts.
In the nearly five months since the announcement, Sonders has been contributing to the network’s NFL coverage and recently announced an upcoming project with the NFL Network.
Sonders also co-hosts 18 Holes, a golf destination show, alongside Natalie Gulbis and Jimmy Hanlin.
In an interview with Golfweek, Sonders reflected on the turn her career has taken.
“The golf at Fox just didn’t turn out to be what we thought it would be,” she said. “We hoped we would get more PGA Tour rights, and it just didn’t end up happening. But I wanted to be in the studio and show my personality. It’s what I like to do, make people smile and think and bring the best out of my co-host. There’s nothing like walking out of a studio knowing you kicked ass. And then there are a million projects that are on the table that are more entertainment and fun, so I’m kind of in that world too, and that’s been really good.”
Sonders was the face of Fox golf when the network took the helm for the USGA’s championship boradcasts in 2015. She suffered an embarrassing on-air gaffe when, in the aftermath of his dramatic victory, she asked Jordan Spieth whether he had packed an additional outfit for a potential Monday playoff.
While Fox took a lot of criticism following its U.S. Open broadcast debut, the network has been open about the areas that could be improved upon (high-profile hire Greg Norman was dismissed after just one year on the job) and its commitment to learning from past mistakes to be better each year.
Sonders, though, isn’t ruling out a return to golf.
“We never say never,” she told Golfweek. “Golf is still a part of who I am and what got me here.”
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