Holly Sonders, a former host of Golf Channel’s Morning Drive and a staple of Fox Sports’s USGA championship coverage since 2015, will not be appearing on future golf telecasts for the network. Golfweek first reported the news.
“I’m incredibly proud to have been a part of Fox Sports’ USGA coverage,” Sonders told Golfweek. “The entire golf team has become like family and I learned a lot working alongside them. I look forward to continuing my relationship with Fox Sports as I transition into a studio role and am excited about the opportunities ahead of me.”
The network’s decision is a surprising one, considering Sonders’s high-profile hiring. She was widely considered as one of Golf Channel’s biggest stars when Fox hired her away in 2015.
The transition to network TV wasn’t without bumps. Fox’s first U.S. Open broadcast at Chambers Bay was widely criticized, and Sonders 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.
She was subsequently given a “shift in responsibilities,” and spent the majority of her on-air time in the studio.
While Sonders may no longer appear in a golf capacity for Fox Sports going forward, based on her recent Tweets, her college football presence on the network continues.