The Ryder Cup teed off Friday in New York’s Farmingdale, launching another chapter in the storied battle between America and Europe. The opening foursomes delivered instant fireworks as Bryson DeChambeau and Justin Thomas battled Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton on the iconic Bethpage Black Course. The New York crowd roared, fueling an atmosphere that made the drama unmistakable. This was golf at its most intense.
Meanwhile, away from the fairways, veteran golf broadcaster Amanda Balionis grabbed headlines by shifting her focus from golf to football. On Friday, she appeared for DraftKings and interviewed Super Bowl champion and Emmy Award winner Victor Cruz.
Shortly after, she announced on Instagram that she was relocating to Houston, writing: “And just like that… it’s time to head to Houston. Awesome week talking/celebrating the Ryder Cup. Grateful to live out my dream while meeting so many incredible people along the way.”
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Naturally, the announcement caught many fans by surprise.
Known for bringing out the best in golf broadcasting, Amanda Balionis had initially focused on NFL coverage during the offseason. Yet she made the decision to step in and support her team at the 2025 Ryder Cup, providing viewers with behind-the-scenes insights and expert analysis. As an Elijah Craig ambassador, she also took over the brand’s Instagram account, giving followers a rare glimpse into her tournament experience. Although her time on-site lasted only two days, Balionis maximized every moment, spotlighting interactions with players like Mel Reid on social media before returning to her NFL commitments.
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Over the years, Balionis built her reputation as one of golf’s most familiar faces, while at the same time cementing herself in football broadcasting. In fact, she has become a fixture on CBS Sports’ Super Bowl coverage, balancing both sports with ease. And though she calls golf her first love, she has openly embraced her football assignments. Her NFL pivot, however, did not happen overnight. In 2018, CBS expanded her responsibilities beyond golf, a move that opened the door to football coverage.
Amanda Balionis had started in 2017 as a part-time golf reporter, then quickly transitioned to the college football sidelines. By 2019, she was covering her first Super Bowl, and since then, she has established herself as a dual-sport presence on CBS, blending golf expertise with football reporting. Yet, this isn’t the first time Amanda Balionis has stepped away from golf to cover ‘dream’ sport. In fact, she has done it before.
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What is Amanda Balionis’s dream sport?
Amanda Balionis has become a familiar face on golf’s biggest stages, capturing the spotlight at major tournaments with poise and insight. But long before she became synonymous with the sport, Balionis thrived as a child with a restless love for athletics. A natural prodigy, she never limited herself to golf. From an early age, she played volleyball and swimming, showing the instincts of a versatile athlete—though swimming often took the spotlight.
Now, Balionis has cemented her place in golf, forging strong connections with top players and earning a reputation for thoughtful reporting. Yet, in a candid interview with Golf Digest last year, she revealed that her early experiences in junior golf almost drove her away from the sport. Reflecting on that formative moment, she said,
“I played junior golf for a few years; my parents loved playing with me, but the minute I had to carry my own bag and walk nine holes by myself, I was like, ‘Eh, you know what, I’m gonna go join the swim team.’”
Her journey in golf, however, remained far from over. Speaking with Links, Amanda Balionis reflected on her early years in the sport, which she began at just seven, and considered how different her path might have been. She explained that without structured youth programs like the PGA Junior League and The First Tee, she lacked the support to fully commit to golf at a young age.
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She said, “As an only child I was alone a lot, so I gravitated more toward team sports and ended up falling in love with volleyball, which I played in high school and college, and then picked golf back up after college. If we’d had programs like PGA Junior League and The First Tee back then, I probably would have stuck with it.”
Yet fate steered Balionis in a different direction. Today, she commands attention as a leading voice in golf broadcasting, while at 39, she actively pursues her passion for football alongside the NFL. Will she continue to focus on golf, shift fully towards football, or balance both? Share your thoughts on the CBS broadcaster’s next chapter