It sounds like Johnson Wagner's 'Live From' segments will be no more as he makes big career move
Keyur Khamar
The good news—Johnson Wagner is making a well-earned career jump to CBS Sports. The bad news—it could spell the end of his incredible "Live From" segments on Golf Channel, which turned him into a TV star over the last year-plus.
As reported by the Sports Business Journal's Josh Carpenter, Wagner will fill the spot at CBS left by Colt Knost, who is moving into the booth for the same network. (Editor's Note: The move was formally announced by CBS a day later.) Wagner will take over Knost's role as an on-course reporter alongside Dottie Pepper and Mark Immelman. In addition, the network says Wagner also will be a regular contributor to CBS Sports’ digital platforms, providing previews, recaps and original content throughout the week for the network’s industry-leading @GolfonCBS social accounts.
Wagner has done on-course reporting work for Golf Channel since he joined the network in 2023, in addition to in-studio work, work on the "Live From" desk and, of course, his always-viral segments of him recreating shots or moments that took place at whichever major golf tournament he was covering that week. The re-enactments first took off at the 2024 Players Championship, where, in an attempt to create how Rory McIlroy's golf ball bounced into a hazard on the seventh hole in the opening round, the former PGA Tour pro began hurling balls into the thick rough:
Soon after this took off, Wagner began recreating actual shots, none more famous than Bryson DeChambeau's 72nd-hole bunker shot that secured him the 2024 U.S. Open at Pinehurst:
Overnight, the recreations became some of the best television golf had to offer, and it's no surprise that it's led to Wagner being hired by CBS, which will broadcast 23 PGA Tour events in 2026, including the Masters, the PGA Championship, all three FedEx Cup Playoff events and seven signature events.
The down side? With Wagner being hired by CBS, his duties on Golf Channel—including his "Live From" work—will be coming to an end. But Wagner said in interviews after the CBS announcement that he'll continue to be doing his recreations for CBS Sports.