Johnson Wagner used to play in the Masters.
He's back at Augusta National this week, but this time it's all about the tournament.
The former Virginia Tech and PGA Tour golfer remained in the sport as an analyst for Golf Channel and NBC. Golf Channel is not broadcasting the Masters itself, but Wagner is participating in the channel's massive show “Golf Central Live from the Masters” this week.
Wagner, in his second year as a golf channel commentator, is enjoying his new career.
“It's really fun,” Wagner, 44, said in a phone interview Wednesday. “I love the people I work with. I've never actually had a job and I love my job so much that I don't even consider it a job.
“It’s really great to be part of a team, the research team, the graphics team, all the producers and directors, and you have no idea what their role is or how much money is being spent on television. It was really fun to learn about it. “
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His outgoing personality didn't go unnoticed when he played on tour.
”[Golfer-turned-analyst] “Peter Jacobsen said something to me probably 10 years ago. He said, 'When you play and your career is over, you have a future in television,'” Wagner said.
Wagner and Brendon de Jonge helped then-coach Jay Hardwick's Hokies finish eighth at the 2001 NCAA National Championship. Like Wagner, de Jonge also played on the PGA Tour.
Wagner was named a third-team All-American as a senior in 2002, winning the Big East individual title and helping Tech University win its second consecutive Big East team championship.
“We were a very close team,” Wagner said. “Brendon de Jonge and I are still very close and we do a podcast together.
“We were very close during our last two years in college. … We were all very close.”
Wagner earned $12.5 million on tour from 2007 to 2022. He has played in his 362 PGA tournaments and won the 2008 Houston Open, 2011 Mayakoba Golf Classic, and 2012 Sony Open.
“The last few years of my career were a bit of a struggle,” he said. “It wasn’t fun to miss the cut and think that if I had a good week I would get the cut and finish 20th.
“The last few years have also been nerve-wracking, so not having to earn five feet for a living feels like a lot of pressure and stress has been lifted off my shoulders.”
In 2022, he underwent surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his knee, which also played a factor in his decision to end his playing career. So was his new television career.
“I was at a real crossroads, and television came along at the right time,” he said.
In the fall of 2022, a friend who was a researcher at Golf Channel recommended Wagner to his boss. So the Golf Channel offered Wagner a one-week tryout on its “Golf Central” studio show for the Houston Open. That led to some additional tournaments.
Ultimately, Wagner was awarded a one-year contract by Golf Channel for the 2023 season. He performed so well that he signed a two-year contract earlier this year.
This year, Wagner made his NBC debut, walking the course and providing commentary during the Mexico Open. NBC owns the Golf Channel. Wagner's “ultimate goal” is to become a permanent member of NBC television broadcasts.
Wagner will participate in NBC's coverage of this year's Paris Olympics and commentate on the games remotely from NBC studios in Connecticut.
Wagner's Golf Channel duties include “Golf Central” studio shows and tournament telecasts. He will appear on every major's “Golf Central” show. He will serve as an analyst for many upcoming tournament telecasts, including the Zurich Classic in New Orleans, the CJ Cup Byron Nelson in Texas and the Wells Fargo Championship in Charlotte.
“It's a nice 50-50 balance while I'm trying to figure out what's the best place for me,” said Wagner, who lives in Charlotte. “Being in the booth at a golf tournament as an analyst is a really great place to be. You have to be critical of the players, but I've found kind of a sweet spot there.
“When you’re in the studio… you can talk about whatever you want to talk about.”
How does he go about criticizing golfers?
“If I see someone hit a bad shot, I'm not going to go easy on them,” he said. “I think they'll agree that it was a bad shot. I'm getting more and more comfortable beating my opponent when he misses.”
Wagner made national headlines on the “Golf Central” show during this year's Players Championship.
Following Rory McIlroy's penalty drop on the seventh hole of the first round, Wagner went out on the course that night and held three golf balls to explain what happened with McIlroy's shot. Threw.
“I said, 'I think what I can do is go get the ball and throw it and try to recreate that just to prove that Rory made a good drop there,'” Wagner said. “I didn't expect it to be something as silly as just throwing a ball on the ground, but it turned out… it was a fun corner and people seemed to enjoy it.”
So the next few nights, Wagner returned to the course, brought his clubs and recreated the shots from that day's game.
Look for him to do it again on the “Golf Central” show for this year's PGA Championship, U.S. Open and British Open.
Don't expect him to do that at this week's Masters, though.
“They’re not going to put me out on the track to do those things here,” he said.
For the rest of this week, Wagner will appear on the morning segment of the Golf Central show starting Thursdays and Fridays at 8 a.m. and Saturdays and Sundays at 9 a.m.
He plans to spend the afternoon and evening working on his second job in Augusta.
Wagner will appear on SiriusXM Radio's Masters broadcast. He will call the action from the back of the 4th green, the 14th tee (known as the 13th hole) and the 18th tower.
“On radio, basically, [listeners’] “Being able to see allows me to talk much more and the descriptive nature of explaining things is very nice,” Wagner said, adding, “Being on the ground for radio this week is a new experience for me. It will be an experience,” he said.
He will also serve as the SiriusXM radio analyst for next month's PGA Championship.
Wagner has favorite Scottie Scheffler to win this week's Masters, but he also likes Will Zalatoris' chances and has Erik van Rooyen as a dark horse candidate.
Wagner is one of two area university graduates covering the Masters this week. Marty Smith, a graduate of Giles High School and Radford University, rejoins ESPN's coverage.
