You won't be seeing Holly Sonders on Fox Sports' coverage of USGA golf championships in 2019 and moving forward.
As part of a new multi-year agreement to remain with Fox Sports, Sonders will be moving away from golf coverage, including of the US Open and US Women's Open. Golfweek was first to report the story.
Instead, Sonders will continue to work as a studio host for a variety of Fox Sports programming and work as a sideline reporter for college football coverage.
“I’m incredibly proud to have been a part of Fox Sports’ USGA coverage,” Sonders said to Golfweek. “The entire golf team has become like family and I learned a lot working alongside them. I look forward to continuing my relationship with Fox Sports as I transition into a studio role and am excited about the opportunities ahead of me.”
Sonders was one of Fox Sports' biggest initial hires when the network shockingly landed a 12-year deal to broadcast USGA championships starting in 2015 (meaning the deal ends in 2026). She was hired away from Golf Channel amid contract negotiations to continue her role with that network, where she became famous in golf circles for being a co-host of "Morning Drive." She also was a part of the instructional shows "School of Golf" and "Playing Lessons."
When she arrived to Fox Sports, her role wasn't particularly well-defined. She was panned as a post-game interviewer in the first year of the Fox-USGA relationship in 2015, part of a broader set of first-year issues in bringing the Fox style to golf. She was moved to post-game host for the US Women's Open, and she's been engaged in a variety of roles in golf telecasts and programming in the four years she's worked for Fox Sports.
These days, though, Sonders has achieved some higher-profile spots, including guest-spotting on Colin Cowherd's radio show simulcast on TV, other studio hosting and working football games.
In addition to Sonders exiting the golf coverage, Golfweek reports Irishman Shane O'Donoghue, who also works with CNN International in hosting their golf program, will also not return. After anchoring golf coverage in the first year, and having since been replaced in that role by Shane Bacon, O'Donoghue handled post-round interviews in the 2018 US Open.
