Ewan Porter - This Sporting Life

Ewan Porter is a busy man indeed. Yet, somehow between commentating at massive golf tournaments, nurturing a legion of juniors globally and scouting fresh talent for college programs, he made time for a chat. Porter’s evolution from professional golfer to on-course event presenter/college recruitment extraordinaire and everything in between is nothing short of impressive. Plus, he is a vocal supporter (quite literally) of women’s golf! What’s not to love…

As the founder of the adidas Junior 6s what achievements are you most proud of?
I created the Junior 6s back in 2019 as a way of honouring my father’s legacy. He passed away in 2018 and no matter how successful the series becomes or how much we expand, my dad will remain the underlying reason as to why it exists. In addition to that, we’ve already had some stars come through such as Harrison Crowe but simply creating pathways and opportunities that don’t already exist is very rewarding.  

Name a few junior female golfers that you predict will have a big future in our sport.
Within its first couple of years, the Junior 6s has already seen players such as Justice Bosio, Cassie Porter and Sarah Hammett come through. All three of these players will no doubt be competing in one of the major international tours in the near future. Hyejun Park is now competing on the Korean LPGA Tour and I think will be Top 50 in the world at some point. Jeneath Wong won our 2022 series and this year she competed in two LPGA Tour events including the U.S. Women’s at Pebble Beach. There’s also the current Australian Girls champion, Ann Jang, who has a very unique style of playing. I’m a big fan. 

You called all the action at the Maybank Championship (touted as the Asian major) in Malaysia when Celine Boutier clinched her 4th win of 2023. What was the final round atmosphere like?
Electric. I’ve never experienced a final round like it as a player or commentator. From the time Celine teed off, until her winning putt, it was in excess of nine hours. The playoff went 9 holes but after two holes of the playoff there was a 2-hour storm delay. And the thousands who attended didn’t go anywhere. I was lucky enough to work on all four LPGA Tour events in Asia recently and women’s golf is simply huge in the region. 

How best do you showcase a player’s personality when interviewing them?
Most importantly as the interviewer I always try to smile and appear relaxed. There’s no question this automatically makes the subject more engaged, but I definitely try my best to do my research and incorporate any interesting facts/nuggets into the question that will warrant an elaborate response.  

What’s the most awkward moment you’ve had on air?
I was calling the 2019 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach alongside one of my best friends, Ned Michaels. I commented on a player’s trousers and we both went into a fit of laughter for about a minute. So if you were watching at home there was no commentary at all during this period and the producers were in our ears to get it together. 

What events will you be commentating on during the Australian summer of golf and which one is your favourite?
I’ll be at the Australian PGA Championship, Australian Open and Cathedral Invitational. All the major events at home mean a lot to us who grew up watching these on television from an early age. I’d have to place the Australian Open at the top of the list though. It’s a championship with incredible history. I had chances to win in 2007 and 2008 and the atmosphere is as good as any tournament in the world outside of the majors. 

Of all the women’s professional tournaments (LET & LPGA), which one would you most like to work at (or attend) and why? 
I called the U.S. Women’s Open in 2017 and 2018 and I’ve just returned home from covering the 4-event Asian LPGA swing. I’m not sure there’s a particular tournament I wish to call but I would absolutely love to commentate full-time on the LPGA Tour. There is so much potential for the women’s professional game to grow over the next decade - we’re already beginning to see it trend in the right direction and the female players are definitely easier to engage with. I’m very excited to witness the growth of the women’s professional game on a global scale and, fingers crossed, I can be a part of it.

“There is so much potential for the women’s professional game to grow over the next decade - we’re already beginning to see it trend in the right direction”