Cara Banks has worked in sports broadcasting's trenches, leading to a career milestone at U.S. Women's Open

LOS ANGELES — Some of the most impactful work of Cara Banks’ early golf career came in Africa via a Nikon F5 camera and a backpack. She lived in Ghana for four months and went on solo treks to Johannesburg and other cities, interviewing golfers and sharing their stories. She would produce, write, interview and file features for shows in London.

She did lighting, audio and camera work as a multi-media journalist. She was a long way around the world from broadcasting for the PGA Tour and LPGA Tour, but this turned out to be part of the path that led to her big break.

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“I felt like I had so much experience from all parts of producing golf content,” Banks said. “It was then fortunate for me that Sky Sports asked for the show that we were producing to be presenter-led. I think I was a natural choice for them with some of the experience I've had. And from there, yeah, Golf Channel came knocking.”

A broadcaster’s journey is always different, and Banks—who grew up in England—then got the call to move to Orlando in 2015. With a three-year Golf Channel contract, her mother cried and told her she was proud and excited for her but knew she wasn’t coming back home to live. Banks wasn’t so sure, but a mom always knows best. Fast forward to this week, and Banks is set to call the U.S. Women’s Open at Riviera Country Club.

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In April, Banks was named lead play-by-play announcer for NBC’s LPGA broadcasts, in addition to her other roles with the network.

“It's an absolute honor, to be honest, to have been named to do this position by NBC,” Banks said. “I feel ready to do it, excited and grateful for the opportunity, of course. I've worked in the golf industry and the golf production business for so many years now. … I've worked a variety of different roles. I've built up a lot of experience and understanding and respect for people in the industry, and [I’m] really excited to be trusted with the opportunity to do this for the NBC.”

The 41-year-old Banks had long envisioned a career in television, but working in entertainment television was her first goal, thanks to a TV host who impacted her.

“I always wanted to be a TV presenter. That’s what we call it in the U.K.,” Banks said. “I felt very fortunate that I knew that that's what I wanted to do. I grew up wanting to be like Davina McCall. She's an English TV presenter. I grew up watching her present ‘Big Brother’ in England, and it was such a massive sort of cultural moment at the time. She did other programs like ‘Streetmate.’ I just really resonated with her and the ability that she had as a TV host to make you the viewer feel like she was talking to you.”

Growing up, Banks spent a lot of time skiing with her family. Now she and her husband, Oliver, are teaching their three children, ages 6 and younger, how to ski in Connecticut, where they moved with the Golf Channel’s relocation from Florida. Since Connecticut is home to NBC, as well, the Banks won’t need to move again.

Cara Banks, shown with Collin Morikawa at the 2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational, is respected for developing rappart with players

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Banks’ first job in the industry was as a show runner on a weekend talk show, where she made and delivered cups of tea for celebrities in the green room. She’s steadily done just about every job associated with broadcasting from production assistant to play-by-play, something she feels has helped her immensely. Banks studied politics at Newcastle University in England.

“I started from the ground up as a runner. I picked up all the experience,” Banks said. “I’ve never had official training. I’ve learned everything on the job.”

Banks has served as a host for Golf Channel on several shows, beginning with “Morning Drive” in 2015. She’s been a reporter for PGA Tour events for NBC as well. Five years ago, she made her debut doing play-by-play at the ShopRite LPGA Classic. During that event, she was part of a historical broadcast via an all-female commentary team. She joined Judy Rankin, Paige Mackenzie, Karen Stupples and Kay Cockerill.

“Regardless of what sex I am, I want to just be good at my job, and my attitude has always been through all stages of my career, and still is, put your head down, do a good job, and the rest will take care of itself,” Banks said. “If you work hard enough and you perform well enough, people will see that. That's kind of been the case with what's happened with me so far.

“It is really important to have the representation [for women], and I'm really grateful that I can be one of those people for whoever is aspiring to work in golf broadcasting or whatever it might be.”

Banks noted that she is the lone female on NBC for men’s golf broadcasts as an on-course reporter and is grateful that there is a female voice.

“Now, would I like to be doing more and be in the booth?” she said. “Who knows what will happen in time? For now, it's great that we can have a female voice calling coverage for the best women players in the game.”

Last month, Banks called the Chevron Championship in Houston, which World No. 1 Nelly Korda won. She’s called a handful of other LPGA events as well. Making the move between reporter and host to play-by-play can be a challenge for some, but Banks has handled it well.

“She's incredible at what she does, and her role keeps expanding because she's doing such a good job at it,” said longtime producer Tommy Roy, who will be in the NBC truck for Banks’ work this week. “She happens to be a wonderful human being, so she's fun to work with. She keeps getting better and better and better.”

At the 2021 ShopRite Classic, Cara Banks and Judy Rankin were on the first all-women golf broadcast team.

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Banks has a versatile sports resume. She’s a host for NBC’s Premier League soccer and an Olympics reporter and host. She reported on alpine skiing at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics in February and hosted CNBC and E! coverage of the Tokyo Olympics. She won a Sports Emmy as part of the NBCUniversal coverage team for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Roy said the anecdotes she learns through networking and talks with players is a highlight of her calls. Her approach is conversational, which is an NBC staple. Banks learned about that first-hand from watching McCall.

“I've always tried to embody that in my role, whether it's in a studio show or whatever it is, and it's advice that I always give people about working in this space,” Banks said. “Treat the camera like the third person in the conversation, depending on how many people are in the group with you. Just bring the camera in and not be shut off by the microphone or the camera. Rather, try and warm up to it, and welcome that extra audience in.”

Roy recalled a live interview Banks got with Tiger Woods after a round at the 2022 Open Championship at St. Andrews. He remembers it vividly because news came that Woods would only do one quick session with media, no one-on-one interviews.

“Cara was down there, and she was incredible the way she positioned her body so she could get in there and get the very first couple of questions because we were live on the air,” Roy said. “We're off showing golf shots, and we have to leave those golf shots to come down for the interview. We can't sit there and wait for other people to be asking questions. She went right in there, and it was amazing what she did and got a great three questions in with Tiger, and we were out of there. It was that day that really sold me on her ability to be a go getter and get this thing done, and it was amazing.”

Banks talked to Golf Digest earlier this month while she was driving home from a media day for the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills. She played with Dan Hicks—one of NBC’s longtime play-by-play voices who will call the weekend at Riviera Country Club. Banks will lead coverage for the first two rounds and spend time in the booth and on the ground during the weekend.

Like many golfers who will be teeing it up at the major, Banks hadn’t worked or played at Riviera before this week. She’s looking forward to walking it and learning the nuisances of the historic course. She knows a thing or two about iconic places.

Banks and her golfing family would spend summer vacations on the coast of England near Royal St. George’s Golf Club, and they were members at nearby Royal Cinque Ports Golf Club.

“I kind of grew up walking golf courses in the summer. I'd swing a club but didn't play a ton,” she said. “There wasn't a ton of young girls of my age who were playing golf, but I walked the course, understood the game, caddied, followed my parents, met them halfway and would do the back nine with them and things like that.”

Banks has a 17 handicap index and plays about once a week at her home course, Brooklawn Country Club, when the weather obliges in Connecticut.

For this week, she’ll be on a big stage on the other side of the country just outside of Los Angeles. She’ll be calling one of the most important events of the golf season, a moment she’s prepared for since those days long ago in Africa.

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