Golf Channel analyst Johnson Wagner is golf entertainment in human form. With the content he continues to produce, could he win an Emmy in the future?
He has to be one of the best personalities on the broadcast team, and the former PGA Tour pro made a name for himself at the PGA Championship.
Throughout the season, Wagner has reenacted various golf scenarios, from questionable calls to how to play certain holes on the course. Wagner thoroughly entertained his fans.
But his weakness at the PGA Championship on Saturday night may have earned him even more fan love.
Wagner overcame chipping yips to show how Xander Schauffele and Saheeth Segala made their shots on the 15th hole at Valhalla Golf Club. When the footage was posted on social media, fans and media personnel lost their minds.
of reaction is great and shows how highly people who watch golf appreciate the likes of Johnson.
“LIV and the Tour have spent billions of dollars improving golf products, only to be dethroned by Johnson Wagner when he threw the ball up a hill like Aroldis Chapman and suffered from the yips on live television. A hero,” wrote Golf Digest senior writer Joel Beal.
LIV and the Tour spent billions of dollars improving the golf product, only to be dethroned when Johnson-Wagner threw the ball up a hill like Aroldis Chapman and suffered from the yips on live TV. .Hero pic.twitter.com/sf8FzjiaU3
— Joel Beall (@JoelMBeall) May 19, 2024
Producers keep asking him to do things, and Wagner takes on the challenge. He provides a different level of golf commentary that not everyone can do. Needless to say, Wagner comes across as the guy everyone would want to have a beer with.
Fellow analyst Smiley Kaufman also commented on the move. His sentiments are likely those of many golf fans who enjoy seeing what Wagner does next.
dear @johnson_wagner,
No matter where you go…this content is the best no matter what you do! Thank you for putting on your hard helmet for us every night!
Love,
golf fans around the world pic.twitter.com/HjNQ3GkkYa— Smylie Kaufman (@SmylieKaufman10) May 19, 2024
Wagner responded and asked Kaufman to caddy for him at the U.S. Open at Pinehurst in a few weeks.
“Well, I got a toe shank, I got a heel shank. It’s Saturday night at the PGA Championship, guys.”
Get Johnson Wagner an Emmy and bourbon pic.twitter.com/Q7nqOTIWod
— Dylan Dethier (@dylan_dethier) May 19, 2024
PGA Tour players like JT Poston also loved Wagner’s performance on the course. Many suggested that his performance was Emmy-worthy. It takes courage to experience the yips and make it your own, like Wagner. He responded professionally and drew more attention to his game.
It will be interesting to see what Wagner recreates next, but one thing is for sure: fans will enjoy it.
Savannah Lee Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through.For more golf coverage, follow us @_PlayingThrough on all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirls and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.
