Dan Hicks, NBC’s Voice of Golf for 26 Years, Dies at 64

admin · November 12, 2026 · 5 min read

Golf broadcast booth at a championship course at golden hour, with a microphone and headset on the desk

Dan Hicks, NBC’s Voice of Golf for 26 Years, Dies at 64

Dan Hicks, the steady voice who guided American television viewers through more than a quarter century of golf’s biggest moments, has died at 64, his family and NBC Sports announced Thursday.

Hicks died late Wednesday in Connecticut after an acute illness, his wife, ESPN broadcaster Hannah Storm, said in a family statement. The family did not disclose a more specific cause of death.

“Our family is heartbroken by the sudden and unexpected passing of Dan following an acute illness,” Storm said in the statement.

A 34-year career at NBC Sports

Hicks joined NBC Sports in 1992 after three years at CNN, where he met Storm. He worked as a tower announcer on the network’s golf broadcasts from 1995 to 1999 before taking over as the lead play-by-play voice in 2000, a role he held for 26 years.

In that seat, Hicks anchored coverage of the U.S. Open, the Open Championship, the Ryder Cup, the Presidents Cup, the Solheim Cup, The Players Championship and the FedExCup Playoffs. He called 27 U.S. Opens, including 22 as the lead play-by-play announcer, and 23 U.S. Women’s Opens.

He was on the call for 27 tournament victories by Tiger Woods, including three at the U.S. Open. His partnership with two-time major champion Johnny Miller, who worked alongside him for nearly two decades, became one of golf television’s defining broadcast pairings.

Hicks also anchored NBC’s weekend coverage at TPC Sawgrass for three decades, and he was scheduled to call Notre Dame’s football game on Saturday in what would have been his seventh season as the Fighting Irish play-by-play voice.

Beyond golf: Olympics and Notre Dame

Golf was Hicks’ best-known assignment, but his range at NBC extended well beyond the course. He called Olympic swimming alongside Rowdy Gaines, including the U.S. men’s 4×100 freestyle relay comeback at the 2008 Beijing Games, and he worked Olympic skiing as well.

He called Alpine skiing at the Milan Cortina Winter Games in February, his 16th Olympics and his fourth consecutive Winter Games in that role. In September, he opened his 35th season at the network with Notre Dame-Wisconsin at Lambeau Field.

Tributes from golf’s biggest stages

The PGA Tour released a statement Thursday honoring Hicks, and tributes poured in from across the sport he covered for so long. Golf.com, which first reported details of the family statement, noted that Hicks had been at NBC since 1992 and was the voice for Open Championships, Ryder Cups, Presidents Cups and Players Championships.

Hicks was a Tucson, Arizona, native and a University of Arizona graduate. He began his television career at CNN in 1989 before moving to NBC three years later.

He is survived by Storm and their three daughters, Hannah, Ellery and Riley.

Why this matters

For American sports fans, Hicks was one of those rare broadcasters whose voice became inseparable from the event itself. A generation of viewers learned golf through his calm, unhurried calls at the U.S. Open and the Ryder Cup, and his work at the Olympics carried him into living rooms far beyond the golf audience.

His death leaves a hole at the top of NBC’s golf coverage just as the sport heads into its offseason, and the network will now have to find a successor for a chair Hicks occupied for 26 years. The sports world has had a heavy week: Jessica Pegula’s run to the WTA Finals semifinals thrilled tennis fans, while Stephen Curry was sidelined by injury, but the loss of Hicks is the kind of news that stops a broadcast community in its tracks.

What happens next

NBC Sports has not yet announced who will take over as its lead golf voice. No funeral or memorial arrangements have been made public. The family asked for privacy as it grieves a sudden loss that, by every account, caught even those closest to him by surprise.

Frequently Asked Questions

How did Dan Hicks die?

Hicks died late Wednesday, November 11, in Connecticut after an acute illness, according to his wife, Hannah Storm. The family has not disclosed a more specific cause of death.

How long was Dan Hicks at NBC Sports?

Hicks joined NBC Sports in 1992 and worked at the network for 34 years. He became the lead golf play-by-play announcer in 2000 and held that role for 26 years.

What events did Dan Hicks call?

Hicks called 27 U.S. Opens and 23 U.S. Women’s Opens, plus the Open Championship, Ryder Cup, Presidents Cup, Solheim Cup and The Players Championship. He also called Olympic swimming and skiing across 16 Olympic Games and Notre Dame football.

Who is Dan Hicks survived by?

He is survived by his wife, ESPN broadcaster Hannah Storm, and their three daughters, Hannah, Ellery and Riley.

Dan Hicks spent 34 years at NBC Sports, and for 26 of them he was the voice American viewers trusted to tell them what they were watching at golf’s biggest moments. That voice is now silent, and the sport will feel its absence for a long time.