The golf world woke up to the devastating news that Dan Hicks, NBC Sports lead golf play-by-play announcer, had passed away. Hicks had been the voice of some of golf’s biggest moments over the last quarter-century: Tiger’s putt on 18 at the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines, belting out “Expect anything different?” after Woods’ birdie putt circled then fell into the cup, forcing an 18-hole playoff, which he would win, for his 14th major championship.
Hicks also called Tiger’s first win in five years at the 2018 Tour Championship: “We thought we’d never see it, and I don’t believe he thought either. Tour Championship winner: Tiger Woods, a winner again. Number 80!”
But Hicks didn’t just call golf; he called swimming and alpine skiing at the Summer and Winter Olympics, respectively. He was the voice behind Michael Phelps’ legendary career, including the 4x100 freestyle in 2008, when Jason Lezak came back against France to secure a Gold Medal for America.
He was also the voice behind other major NBC events: Roland Garros, The Players Championship, the Ryder Cup, NFL playoff games, and Notre Dame Football. Dan Hicks was the man.
I was lucky enough to meet Dan on two occasions. Two months before the pandemic gripped the world, I was standing on the steps of the clubhouse at Kapalua, the week of the Sentry Tournament of Champions. Hicks’ colleague Mark Rolfing invited me to join the crew in the tower on the first day of the PGA Tour’s season. I was starstruck, and could only manage a “hi” to Hicks and a “thank you” for Rolfing.
Six and a half years later, just three months ago, I walked up to him as he exited the NBC trailer after the semifinals of the U.S. Amateur at Merion. I showed him the photo I snuck of him from Kapalua – he got a good laugh out of it – and then we just talked. I’m not sure how long we stood on Golf House Rd. Five minutes, 10 minutes, somewhere in there. We just talked golf. How beautiful Merion is, Kevin Kisner’s calling the upcoming Presidents Cup because he was not named an assistant captain – Hicks told me long before the news was made public. We took a photo (above), then went our separate ways. It was a small moment, but it was exactly who Dan Hicks was. He was as good a man as there was. No person was better than him.
It will be weird turning on the PGA Tour and not hearing his voice, and when the USGA on NBC theme song comes on next June at the U.S. Open, and he isn’t doing the open, it will hurt. Dan Hicks was the voice of a generation.