One of the Ranch Cities' biggest stars, retired PGA Tour golfer and current CBS golf analyst Colt Knost, was recently announced as a member of the Texas Golf Hall of Fame Class of 2026.
After a decorated amateur career, over a decade playing on the PGA Tour, and moving into the broadcast booth, Knost received one of the biggest honors of his life from the sport he loves.
“It's an incredible honor and something I never expected to happen in my career,” Knost said. “To go in the Hall of Fame with some of the all-time greats like [Ben] Hogan, [Byron] Nelson, and [Lee] Trevino, among many others, is probably the greatest achievement of my golf career.”
Knost said he was initially introduced to the game of golf by his childhood friends.
“Growing up in Pilot Point, golf wasn’t the biggest thing in the world, but I was lucky enough to have a few friends, Travis Irick, Deke Alexander and Josh Williams, who all played, and I started playing with them and absolutely fell in love with the game,” he said.
He added that he was fortunate to have the opportunity to pursue his passion as his love for the game continued to blossom as he got older.
“Luckily we had a high school team there in Pilot Point, and we would go play at Lake Kiowa Country Club, and my stepdad had a 55-acre horse farm, and I would hit golf balls at the house all day after school,” he said. “I was also fortunate that my last couple years in high school, Coach Lonnie Scott and the athletic director were nice enough to let me go hit golf balls during gym hours instead of playing football or basketball.”
All that practice time and support culminated in Knost becoming the UIL 3A Golf State Champion in his senior season of 2003.
After graduating from Pilot Point, Knost attended Southern Methodist University, where he said he really had his eyes opened by the level of talent around him.
“I still didn’t know how good I was, and when you’re playing in a program like that, there are kids from all over the country coming in that are some of the best in the world, and it took me a little bit to get comfortable,” he said.
Knost said he didn’t even know if he was going to make the Mustangs' traveling lineup, but he eventually did, going on to be named the Western Athletic Conference’s Freshman of the Year in his first season with the team.
“I never missed a tournament in four years, but it really didn’t all click and make sense until my junior year, and that’s when I figured out, ‘OK, I’m good enough to take this to the next level.’” Knost continued to earn multiple all-conference and all-region honors, becoming the No. 1 ranked amateur golfer in the world in 2007 and joining golf legends Bobby Jones and Jay Sigel as one of three golfers to ever win three United States Golf Association events in the same year.
After a senior season for the record books, Knost joined the PGA Tour and said he was immediately blown away by the level of talent and skill on the professional level.
“I was the man in college golf my last year, and the second year I turned pro, I was back to the bottom of the barrel, and I had to work my way back up again, but I was fortunate to play 12 years,” he said.
In his time on the professional level, Knost made 11 of 24 PGA Tour cuts, with his best PGA finish happening at the Bob Hope Classic in 2009, where he finished 25th.
Knost went on to play professionally for 12 years, eight of which with the PGA Tour, but battled multiple injuries before retiring in 2020.
“I feel like I underachieved in my PGA Tour career, but to look back when it's all said and done and know that a kid from Pilot Point, Texas, was able to play almost 200 events on the PGA Tour, play in front of massive crowds, go to some of the places I’ve played, and play with some of the people I have is really special, and it's something I’m extremely proud of,” he said.
After finishing his playing career, Knost made the transition into broadcasting, originally working as an on-course reporter with CBS before moving into the broadcast booth as an analyst alongside CBS Sports sportscasters Jim Nantz, Trevor Immelman and Frank Nobilo in 2026.
“CBS spent a couple of months trying to figure out who was going to replace [Ian Baker-Finch], and I ended up getting the call, which I was really shocked by because I didn’t think I would ever be switching roles like that, and definitely not filling the shoes of one of the best to ever do it,” Knost said.
He added that he still can’t believe he gets to work with such a legendary broadcast team.
“It still blows my mind that I’m sitting across from Jim Nantz,” he said. “… He’s the only voice I’ve known when I watch CBS Golf, and the fact that he’s a colleague and a friend is pretty ridiculous,” Knost said.
Despite the heights his love of golf has taken him, Knost made sure to thank everyone who helped him along the way and offered words of encouragement to young athletes in the Ranch Cities.
“I don’t think any of this happens without Coach Scott and all the people that supported me,” he said. “No one gets where they are without an incredible support system, and I have a great one, and for the young kids there I want to say, ‘Just keep working and don’t let anyone tell you you can’t do something.’ I was told a million times that I would never make it, but I think I’ve done OK.”
