Amanda Balionis, a reporter for CBS, acknowledges that she has never been more anxious than she was during her first interview with Tiger Woods.
The night before Amanda Balionis was scheduled to interview Tiger Woods for the first time, she acknowledges that she “lost a lot of sleep.”
In an interview with Links Magazine, Balionis, 39, expressed her opinions about 15-time major champion and former World No. 1 Woods, 48.
The publication questioned the CBS Sports reporter about the athlete or personality that has made her feel the most anxious before an interview.
Balionis answered without holding back.
“Yes, Tiger Woods,” she answered.
“I believe my second-ever sit-down interview was with Tiger when I first started working with PGATour.com.
“I’m so glad the camera was angled from the waist up because I was so nervous that my legs were shaking uncontrollably.
“Prior to that interview, I didn’t get much sleep.”
Before he was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2011, four-time major champion Ernie Els was the first PGA Tour professional that Balionis ever spoke with.
“The Big Easy has always been so good to me,” she said.
“I was too new to the golf scene to know that I should be nervous for that one [with Ernie],” Balionis continued.
“He appeared to be a large stuffed animal!”
Amanda Balionis: who is she?
Reporter Balionis of CBS Sports covers professional golf on a regular basis and has emerged as one of the industry’s most recognizable figures.
Balionis, who is originally from Pittsburgh, attended Hofstra University on Long Island, New York, to study broadcast journalism.
She has held a variety of positions since graduating, including one with the PGA Tour, before joining Callaway as an internal reporter for the massive golf equipment company.
At this point, Balionis has spent more than seven years employed by CBS Sports.
She covers the NFL in addition to golf.
Is Amanda Balionis married?
Balionis was married to former Baltimore Ravens quarterback Bryn Renner in 2022. The couple resides in San Diego.
Reports state that Balionis and Renner are divorcing, however this has not been verified.
During recent CBS coverage of the PGA Tour, she was seen not wearing her wedding ring.
However, neither Renner nor Balionis have acknowledged the breakup.
When Rory McIlroy shocked Erica Stoll by announcing his shocking divorce earlier this year, an unverified Daily Mail report claimed that he was having romantic relations with Balionis.
McIlroy and Erica’s marriage was described as “irretrievably broken” in court documents.
A month later, Rory and Erica finally worked out their differences and decided not to pursue a divorce.
An uncorroborated report purportedly stated that McIlroy and Balionis have always had a professional relationship.
Aside from golf, Balionis is a certified yoga instructor and the creator of the nonprofit organization “Puppies and Golf,” which supports dog shelters and rescue dogs while also giving grants to low-income families to help pay for urgent medical care or training expenses.
She started playing golf when she was nine years old and now plays in addition to reporting on the game.
Her grandparents met while participating in golf, and both of her parents love the game.
In college, she played volleyball and was an avid swimmer.
Additionally, Balionis has appeared in both of the Full Swing documentary’s seasons on Netflix.
Leave a Reply