Johnson Wagner Will Leave Golf Channel for CBS Sports

The three-time PGA Tour winner's popularity has boomed in the last few years, in part because of segments where he recreates shots. He says those will continue at CBS.

Johnson Wagner is joining CBS Sports' PGA Tour broadcast team in 2026. / David Cannon/Getty Images

It’s official. 

As first reported by the Sports Business Journal, CBS has announced that Johnson Wagner will join the network in 2026 as an on-course reporter. He’ll also contribute to CBS Sports’ digital platforms. 

Wagner, 45, had been with Golf Channel since 2023. 

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“I am both humbled and honored to be joining the CBS Sports golf team, which is rich in excellence and tradition,” Wagner said in a statement. “I look forward to not only contributing to network coverage on the weekends and engaging with players at events throughout the season but also tapping into new ideas and opportunities to connect with golf fans across CBS Sports’ platforms.”

Wagner is essentially replacing Colt Knost’s spot on the broadcast team, as Knost is moving into the CBS booth as an analyst following the retirement of Ian-Baker Finch. 

Wagner, a three-time PGA Tour winner, has seen his popularity as a television personality boom in the last few years, in part because of segments where he recreates shots from that day's round on “Live From.” However, even with the network change, Wagner insists those segments will remain. 

“I know a lot of people are concerned about me leaving Golf Channel and “Live From” that we’re not going to be doing recreations anymore, and I have to say, that’s not the case,” Wagner told Patrick McDonald of CBS Sports. “I don’t know if there gonna be signature events, I don’t know where they’re going to be yet, but we’re going to crush it, and I have so many ideas.” 

The PGA Tour’s first event on CBS in 2026 will be the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines on Saturday, Jan. 31 and Sunday, Feb. 1. 

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