Player/Commentators are becoming more common nowadays

Having been an avid fan of watching golf on TV, over the last few years there have been more players who have been dabbling in the announcing role.  Most of these part-time golfers/commentators are in the final stages of their "regular" Tour careers (over 45-years-old) and are basically treading water until they become eligible for the Senior Tour.  Most are not fully exempt on the main tour or want to get their foot in the door for when their careers are over for a chance to join the broadcasting ranks. However, there are a select few who play a full schedule and also excel in the announcing booth.  The following players have commentated for The Golf Channel, Sky Sports, or French TV over the few years.

Rich Beem: The 2002 U.S. PGA champion last played competitively at the Web.com Tour's BMW Charity Pro-Am back in May.  He'll be returning to action next week at the Reno-Tahoe Open on the PGA Tour and the following week at the U.S. PGA Championship.  The 42-year-old played the majority of his golf on the European Tour last season, finishing 156th on the Race to Dubai.  Over the past month or so, Beem has been appearing in the Golf Channel studio, and on-course reporting and announcing at various tournaments.

Steve Flesch: The four-time PGA Tour winner has been appearing more and more on the Golf Channel, whether it be on Morning Drive or in-studio, or on-course reporting.  He's played five times this season, with a T22 at Colonial being his best finish.  He played 12 events last season and did not make a cut, before undergoing shoulder surgery at the end of last year.  The 46-year-old lefty will be competing at the Reno-Tahoe Open, in what will be his last start via his Non-exempt Medical Extension.  Needless to say, he needs a good week in Reno. 

Thomas Levet: The likable Frenchman has been working for French TV at the majors for the past couple of years.  The six-time European Tour winner and 2002 Open Championship runner-up has struggled with injuries and poor play since winning his national open (Alstom Open de France) in 2011.  He certainly has the personality for television and has many interests outside of golf.  At 44-years-old, his main goal should be to play some of his best golf leading up to the 2018 Ryder Cup, which will be staged at Le Golf National in Paris.  Who knows, maybe a possible captaincy is in order?

Scott McCarron: It's been a struggle this season for the three-time Tour winner.  The 48-year-old has missed all seven cuts on the PGA Tour and both cuts on the Web.com Tour.  Last season, he failed to make a cut in six appearances and chose to end his season with wrist surgery.  When he hasn't been playing, he's been walking the fairways as an on-course commentator at various PGA and Champions Tour events.  McCarron is certainly biding his time before joining the over-50s circuit.

Colin Montgomerie: A commentator for Sky Sports during the Masters, the U.S. Open, the U.S. PGA Championship, and the Ryder Cup, "Monty" has been showing up at majors without his clubs and switching them for a microphone for the past two or three years.  In addition to his playing schedule, he also has a golf design business and a foundation (the Elizabeth Montgomerie Foundation) that occupies much of his free time.  His play on the course has suffered since leading Europe to the 2010 Ryder Cup as captain, with only two top-10s on the European Tour from 2011 until the present.  He has since begun competing on the Champions Tour after turning 50 last month (T9 in Senior Players Championship and T30 in U.S. Senior Open).

Arron Oberholser: It's unfortunate that the 38-year-old's career may be over due to chronic hand and arm injuries.  He played two events earlier this season and eventually got to the point where the pain in his left hand was too excruciating.  While in college, he earned a broadcast journalism degree at San Jose State University, and has been working for The Golf Channel as an in-studio analyst.  While the 2006 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am winner (only PGA Tour win) still has a desire to return to the PGA Tour, he looks to have made the transition to television.