Amanda Balionis “lost a lot of sleep” before speaking to Tiger Woods during the early days of her reporting career.
When participating in a Q&A with Links Magazine, the CBS reporter, 39, was asked which “athlete or personality you’ve been the most nervous to interview,” revealing her “legs were shaking uncontrollably from nervousness” upon sitting down the 15-time major winner.
“Tiger Woods, for sure. When I started with PGATour.com, I think Tiger was my second-ever sit-down interview. I’m very thankful the camera angle was from the waist up; my legs were shaking uncontrollably from nervousness. I lost a lot of sleep before that interview,” Balionis said.
Balionis joined the PGA Tour in 2011 before moving to CBS in 2017.
Elsewhere in her conversation with Links, Balionis shared the most memorable moments of her broadcasting career thus far.
“A couple come to mind,” she said. “The Dustin Johnson interview after he won the 2020 Masters, when he got vulnerable with us. Presiding over the trophy presentation after Phil Mickelson won the 2021 PGA Championship was unbelievable; understanding the historic element and witnessing the crowds ushering him up to the 72nd green. That’s an image I’ll never forget.”
Balionis, who started playing golf “around 7 or 8 years old,” is now gearing up for football season, serving as an NFL sideline reporter for CBS Sports.
She bid farewell to the network’s 2024 golf season in a heartfelt Instagram post on Aug. 13.
“That’s officially a wrap on the 2024 @golfoncbs season! This year had it all. From historic moments to heart shattering events and every other emotion you can imagine in between. I love this game. I love working in sports. Competing at the highest level requires and produces constant examples of inspiration, drama, unbridled joy, resilience, growth and teamwork,” Balionis wrote.
Her post featured a collection of moments throughout the season, including a May 2024 win at the Wells Fargo Championship from Rory McIlroy, with whom she was at the center of baseless romance rumors amid the PGA Tour star’s since-reversed divorce from wife Erica Stoll.
“It’s an honor to be a very small part of a tremendous team that brings these moments and stories to life each weekend,” Balionis said. “If we left you with one new favorite player, or one memorable moment you shared with loved ones then we have done our jobs. Catch ya on the NFL sidelines until next season!”
The NFL season kicks off next month.
