After six years of covering golf, Amanda Balionis found her very first interview which wrecked her nerves. It was the one with Tiger Woods in 2024 where she exclaimed, “I’m very thankful the camera angle was from the waist up; my legs were shaking uncontrollably from nervousness.” However, more often than not, we have seen the veteran reporter walk the greens and take the sidelines with much confidence, becoming an example of how hard work and being aligned with your job role can certainly put you in successful posts. But for some time now, seems like her work behind the mic has been nothing but a flurry of criticisms. The most recent one came earlier this year in the 2025 PGA Championship.
In the major tournament, the 8-year CBS reporter thanked LIV Golf stars Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau for “taking the time to talk after a gutting loss.” The simple appreciation took a negative turn quickly when the golfing world pointed out that this was the Pennsylvania-𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧’s attempt to throw shade at Rory McIlroy, who avoided the media through the event after having to change his driver and then finishing tied at 47. The spice only got heated given the alleged history between the two, bringing Balionis’ name more wrath. And turns out the pointing fingers are not going anywhere any time soon, as she got tangled up in yet another sticky situation, this time with Rickie Fowler.
In today’s round, the Californian golfer delivered an impressive 3-under third round, putting him just four strokes behind joint leaders Ben Griffin and Matti Schmid in third place. The golfer is finally looking out for a successful run and is completely in contention for a possible win, which will place him in a good position for the FedEx Cup playoffs at the end of the year. So, when Amanda went for a post-round chat with Fowler, she may have highlighted a few points. For one, she mentioned Fowler’s putting average at 125th on the PGA Tour despite having seen him rise to the top ranks at the Colonial Country Club. And then, the obvious question on everyone’s mind, how he felt after what she described as a ‘neutral‘ run. Seemingly, some golf viewers scrutinized her, but as always, instead of listening to the criticism, Balionis has clapped back.
Addressing the negative comments she received for some of her interviews, Balionis added an Instagram story with the caption, “When we talk about being you instead of trying to be what you think others perceive as “perfect” or “good enough” …here’s an example of how the latter is simply an impossible and draining task.” Under the first caption, she shared snippets of a couple of comments she received from the fans.
One of the fans said, “CBS should have fired Amanda some time ago. She is a highly unprofessional journalist. Her job is to be a journalist, NOT to be a giggling, flirtatious high school girl…” They might have taken a dig at one of Balionis and McIlroy’s interviews like the instance during the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship where fans noticed their flirtatious exchange during an interview. And it was not just an one-off thing.
She shared another comment that read, “Hey, could you be a little positive in your interview and not bring up negative stats. Example, Richie (Rickie) Fowler, rand 125 something and stuck in neutral. Very negative interview.” And she didn’t just add one caption. She event ahead and gave, what she called , “my Ted Talk that absolutely nobody asked for.”
“You’re always going to be ‘too something’ for somebody. It’s a lot easier to be yourself and figure out what feedback is actually worth listening to (spoiler: it’s never the trolls you don’t know) rather than trying to be what everyone else wants. Nobody wants the same thing and you’ll end up turning yourself into an unrecognizable pretzel. Okay that’s all. Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk that absolutely nobody asked for 😊.”
via Imago
Contrastingly, Balionis has also received a lot of praise from the community for capturing the emotions of the moment perfectly. Apart from her interview with Scottie Scheffler, let’ take a look at other instances where her expert journalism shone through the cameras.
Amanda Balionis drives amazing narratives every time
Like every golf enthusiast, even Amanda Balionis might have her favorites. But she has always tried to remain neutral in front of the camera. In fact, she is known for bringing out the emotions from every interaction she has with golfers. One such instance was her conversation with Dustin Johnson. In the post-round interview after the LIV Golf pro’s 2020 Masters win, Balionis was praised immensely for capturing the sentiments of Johnson after he finally won the Green Jacket. Interestingly, her coverage s𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁s are not limited to the golfing greens.
Last year, Amanda announced that while the golf season was all wrapped up on CBS, she would join her fellow football reporters on the sidelines. No need to mention, she brought the same exciting energy and professionalism to the gridiron as well. In fact, fans have loved the fact that the reporter who started her career in media in 2011 with the PGA Tour, not only switched to CBS for more opportunities but is actually using those chances to evolve her career. Not just fans, her bosses and famed colleague too are all-in for her.
Back in 2018, CBS Sports chairman Sean McManus told the San Diego Union-Tribune, “She adds a different perspective to our coverage. She has a lot of credibility with golfers, and they respond well to her. She is a breath of fresh air.” Moreover, Jim Nantz, who also have experience covering various sports, including college basketball, had hailed her coolness under pressure. He said: “She is unflappable. It’s live TV – no prompter, no notes, just knowledge. And it’s delivered with warmth and kindness – a reflection of who she truly is.”
This was just one of the many great interviews she has conducted. Despite her friendship with Rory McIlroy, she didn’t shy away from throwing shade at the Irishman when he skipped the media interaction after a disappointing show at the 2025 PGA Championship. There is no question that Amanda Balionis tries to cover every angle of a story.
