Who’s Curt Byrum? Meet the analyst changing Paul Azinger on NBC

In contrast to Johnny Miller and Paul Azinger, Curt Byrum didn’t win a serious championship throughout his profession as knowledgeable golfer.

Regardless of that, Byrum is an skilled analyst who offers tons of perception throughout the telecast. He has labored for the Golf Channel since 2001.

Byrum, now 64 years previous, will exchange Azinger because the lead analyst for NBC Sports activities at subsequent week’s Hero World Problem. He’ll sit within the 18th tower alongside host Dan Hicks, who has anchored NBC’s golf protection since 2000.

However many golf followers need to know, who’s Curt Byrum?

Curt Byrum – NBC Analyst

Born in raised in Onida, South Dakota, which had a inhabitants of 666 within the 2020 census, Byrum grew up enjoying soccer and basketball. Whereas at Sully Buttes Excessive College, he grew to become an all-state soccer participant.

He discovered find out how to play golf at an area golf course, the place he and his brother, Tom, mowed the greens. The course was basically a cow pasture, so the Byrum brothers would hit photographs everywhere in the course, utilizing their creativeness to route round totally different holes.

Humorous sufficient, Tom Byrum grew to become a PGA Tour professional too.

PGA Tour

“The factor my brother and I had was our father Elliot,” Curt mentioned to the Argus Chief—the largest newspaper in South Dakota—in 2014.

“He was a tough driver. He pushed us to work onerous. He was the explanation we hit all these balls on the previous Onida Golf Course. I don’t know how onerous the youngsters are working at Minnehaha and Westward Ho and Elmwood today, however I do know my brother and I spent an terrible lot of time engaged on our video games and attempting to get higher.”

Following highschool, Curt Byrum took his abilities to the College of New Mexico, the place he performed on the golf workforce. He was an amazing participant, successful the South Dakota Males’s Novice Championship in 1976, 1979, and 1980, the latter two coming throughout his collegiate years.

He then turned skilled in 1982 and joined the PGA Tour in 1983.

Whereas on the PGA Tour, Byrum recorded 19 top-10 finishes, which features a win on the 1989 John Deere Basic—then often known as the Hardee’s Golf Basic for sponsorship causes. Byrum received his lone PGA Tour victory by one stroke over Invoice Britton and Brian Tennyson.

Picture by Caryn Levy/PGA TOUR

He then competed on the Nike Tour—now often known as the Korn Ferry Tour—all through the Nineteen Nineties after an elbow harm required surgical procedure in 1992. He had one other process performed in 1996. His enjoying days dwindled throughout this time, however he nonetheless received two occasions on the Nike Tour in 1993 and 1999.

Byrum additionally competed within the U.S. Open thrice and performed within the PGA Championship on 4 events. His greatest end got here on the 1987 PGA Championship at PGA Nationwide in Florida, the place he tied for 14th.

He additionally missed the minimize on the 1990 Masters, his solely look at Augusta Nationwide.

Nonetheless, Byrum has loads of expertise in skilled golf and has an amazing understanding of the sport, the PGA Tour, and the LPGA, all of which he has coated in depth for greater than 20 years.

Thus, the South Dakotan is undoubtedly certified to deal with NBC’s lead analyst position going ahead. Whether or not or not followers welcome his terrific perception stays to be seen.

Jack Milko is a golf employees author for SB Nation’s Enjoying Via. You may comply with him on Twitter @jack_milko for extra golf protection. Remember to try @_PlayingThrough too.