Anna Whiteley
Anna Whiteley
Anna Whiteley is a sports host of Morning Drive on Golf Channel.[20] She was formerly the host of IMG's "Golfing World".
Whiteley is a well experience presenter with a broad set of skills, and she expanded her golf duties to include occasionally hosting the European Tour's weekly "Season Pass" show. She's written children's television programming and has won a number of awards for her work.[45].
Career
Anna started her Career in 2009 as an Assistant Radio Presenter at Global Radio. From June-November 2011, she was an On-Set Production Runner at Pulse Films. In 2012, she returned to Pulse Films to complete a four-month television (TV) production internship. Later, she worked as a Compere at Lynx Golf Re-Brand Launch Event in 2013 and Ladies European Tour in 2014.[19].
From 2017-2018, Anna was an onsite contributor on Morning Drive at Golf Channel, reporting live on the latest European Tour news and providing insight into the players and tournament. From 2016-2019, she was a corporate host for a broad number of clients such as Hilton, MasterCard and Loch Lomond including Q&A events with players such as Francesco Molinari, Colin Montgomerie and Darren Clarke.[19].
In 2015, Anna became a Golfing World Presenter at IMG, taking viewers inside the ropes on the PGA Tour, European Tour and LPGA tour with player interviews, instructional tips and showcasing golf travel destinations. She also has hosted tournament coverage for Sky Sports, the European Tour’s weekly Season Pass show and has been a frequent European Tour contributor to Golf Channel.[43]
In 2019, Golf Channel announced the addition of Anna Whiteley as a full-time co-host for the network's daily news show, Morning Drive. Whiteley officially joined Morning Drive on June 3. Molly Solomon, Golf Channel executive vice president, content and executive producer, said:
“We’ve been eager to add Anna to GOLF Channel’s on-air team, and I’ve long been a fan of her work in the U.K.
With golf being a global game and our partnership with Sky Sports, she is a welcome addition to Morning Drive.
Her vast golf knowledge will allow for insightful roundtable discussions with fellow co-hosts and analysts each morning.[46]
Whiteley relocated from London to Ontario to join Morning Drive and said:
Education
Anna was a student at Oxford Brookes University.[19] Her degree is in Drama and Media and she did student TV. She left university knowing that she wanted to get into sports broadcasting.[44]
Personal Life
Golf has aways been a part of Whiteley's life:
My mum, dad and brother were all massive golfers when I was growing up.
So I’ve always had that natural ability.[44]
Her favorite player is Charley Hull and Lydia Ko:
I just love Charley Hull.
She speaks from the heart, tells it like it is and isn’t afraid to be honest.
She tells you exactly what she is thinking and feeling at that exact moment so you always get a really entertaining interview from her.[44]
I’ve always been a big fan of watching Lydia Ko because she just has such an amazingly relaxed swing.
I think most of us start trying to hit the ball too hard at some point, so I find if I think of her tempo it helps me.
She is such a beautiful and natural player.[44]
In an interview with LadyGolfer, Whiteley told about her way to prepare for an interview:
When I first started I used to prepare 10 or 12 questions that I could always fall back on but as you get more experienced you start to realise it is all about letting the conversation flow naturally.
You have to have solid knowledge of what the player is talking about though.
You need to be able to rely on your knowledge.[44]
Whiteley admires several presenters: Clare Balding and Gabby Logan, Diana Dougherty and Jameela Jamil:
It’s so nice to see Claire Balding and Gabby Logan at the front of the biggest sporting events in the world.
Diana Dougherty kind of opened up the door for females to lead golf shows, which was fantastic for the likes of me.
Outside of sport I grew up watching T4 on a Saturday morning with Jameela Jamil.
She has always been a great role model and is always sending empowering messages to young women on Instagram and Twitter.
Her campaign @i_weigh is all about saying that it’s not how much you weigh or what you look like that’s important but things like what you have achieved in life, what your goals are and the friendships you.
I think that message to young girls, especially now when you are swamped with images about the idea of what it is to look beautiful, is so important.[44]