When Amanda Balionis steps back onto the fairways this week for the 2025 Travelers Championship, it will mark the end of a rare mid-season break for CBS’s popular golf reporter. The 38-year-old broadcasting veteran, known for her sideline interviews, infectious energy, and love of golf’s lighter moments, was noticeably absent from last week’s U.S. Open coverage. But there was a simple reason: the 2025 U.S. Open is broadcast by NBC, not CBS, and Balionis had instead pivoted to LPGA duties at the Meijer LPGA Classic, where she worked on special features for CBS celebrating the LPGA’s 75th anniversary.
Her “hiatus,” though brief, came with no shortage of fun. While NBC’s U.S. Open team was on air, Balionis enjoyed some downtime on Nantucket, posting shots of sun-soaked beaches. Now, she’s back in the mix for one of the PGA Tour’s signature events—and already stirring things up on Instagram in trademark style. In a playful pre-tournament reel posted this week, Balionis documented her road trip from New York City to Hartford for the Travelers, linking up with golf creator Roger Steele and two-time NFL champ Brandon Jacobs along the way.
The group’s urban golf antics included chipping in Central Park and putting on a makeshift green in Times Square—where, according to Balionis, “the pressure of the city got to him,” as Steele struggled on the putts. The reel ends with Amanda’s victory lap: “My biggest W of the day, a perfect chip that finally beat Roger. Just had to save the best for last.”
Steele, no stranger to Balionis’s friendly trolling, replied in the comments: “Trying to decide if we are beefing after you posting my Ls ” It wasn’t their first on-camera sparring match. Back in February, Balionis posted a similar video from a simulator session with Steele: “Came to support my guy @roger_steele….. turned into a trolling session real quick” Clearly, some things haven’t changed.
This week, though, Amanda Balionis will be back in her element—on the broadcast team for one of the PGA Tour’s most exciting stops. Here’s all you need to know!
All about the 2025 Travelers Championship coverage
For the Travelers Championship, coverage will be shared between CBS Sports and Golf Channel. CBS’s broadcast team will include lead anchor Jim Nantz, analyst Trevor Immelman, and on-course voices like Colt Knost, Dottie Pepper, and, of course, Amanda Balionis, who’ll handle player interviews and sideline reports. Golf Channel’s coverage will feature their own lineup of anchors and interviewers across the early rounds.
Fans can catch all the action starting Thursday and Friday, when live coverage airs on Golf Channel from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. ET. Throughout the day, additional featured groups will be available to stream on ESPN+ and Peacock, offering wall-to-wall access. On the weekend, early coverage begins Saturday and Sunday on Golf Channel from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. ET, before shifting to CBS’s main broadcast window from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. ET. The CBS broadcast will also be simulcast on Paramount+ and available via the CBS Sports App, giving viewers multiple ways to follow the tournament’s most dramatic moments.
With a $20 million purse on the line and a stacked field—including defending champ Scottie Scheffler and U.S. Open winner J.J. Spaun—the Travelers Championship promises plenty of drama. And thanks to Amanda Balionis’s return, viewers can also expect a little fun along the way.
The post Amanda Balionis Ends PGA Tour Hiatus With ‘Perfect’ Revenge on Golf Creator at $20 Million Event appeared first on EssentiallySports.
