Alexandra O’Laughlin: Who is The Golf Channel Rising Star?
Over the past few years, Alexandra O’Laughlin has emerged as one of Golf Channel’s fast-rising and most recognizable personalities. After graduating from Lewis University, where she played on the golf team, she began to pursue a career in sports media. Her latest success has come as a golf and travel correspondent on the Golf Channel, but it looks like the sky’s the limit for her growth as a content creator.
O’Laughlin grew up in Arvada, Colorado and attended Ralston Valley High School. She became co-captain on the school’s golf team before committing to play at Lewis. O’Laughlin had also worked as a model for Maximum Talent Agency since 2011, allowing her to grow personal brand as she works her way up the ranks on television.
After she graduated from Lewis early, O’Laughlin earned an internship as the Director’s Assistant at ABC 7 Chicago’s “Windy City Live” in 2016. She then spent time with CBS News Radio before making the jump to Golf Channel in 2017. With the widely popular network, O’Laughlin works closely with the digital and social media departments to create content across a variety of platforms.
At this point, it looks like just the beginning for the rising golf personality. Let’s take a deeper look at O’Laughlin’s life and career thus far.
Golf Channel on YouTube
Golf and Academic Career
O’Laughlin clearly can hang on the golf course, as shown by her impressive career with the Lewis University Flyers. She played for three years at the Division II, Great Lakes Valley Conference school and boasted an average score of 84 during her career, according to Golf.com.
Most impressively, during her time at Lewis, O’Laughlin was a three-time recipient Br. David Delahanty Award, given for academic excellence. She earned her degree in Mass Communication, Electronic Media Production, and Radio/TV Broadcasting, with a GPA of 3.81, all while playing on the golf team.
But her time on the course pre-dated her time spent in college. According to O’Laughlin’s personal website, she’s played since she was 13-year-old. Before going to Lewis, she thrived as a high school player. O’Laughlin was a four-time state finalist and ranked in the top 10 in Colorado for the class of 2012.
O’Laughlin still plays regularly, although not competitively. She can often be seen playing some of the best golf courses in the world on her Instagram page and on her popular show, Go Around with Alexandra O’Laughlin.
Golf Channel on YouTube
Sports Media Start and Rise On The Golf Channel
After graduating in 2015, O’Laughlin immediately set her sights on media. She earned her first big break right after leaving college, landing an internship as the Director’s Assistant at ABC 7 Chicago’s “Windy City Live” in 2016. O’Laughlin’s stint was fairly brief but it opened a variety of other doors.
During her time with ABC7 Chicago, O’Laughlin also became an assistant producer for a CBS radio affiliate. Finally, she got her big break when she made the move to the Golf Channel in May of 2017.
O’Laughlin officially joined the network as a correspondent, but has turned that into popular segment of her own and a widespread social media following. She hosts Go Around with Alexandra O’Laughlin which takes viewers around the world to visit picturesque golf courses and cities. O’Laughlin also reveals quite a bit of her own life through the show, as she gives fans a glimpse at some of her daily activities while playing golf or conducting interviews.
The brief biography on her personal website reads that she does the following in her official capacity with the Golf Channel:
“Alexandra O’Laughlin works closely with Golf Channel’s news division and social media and digital departments. She is also integrated into Golf Channel digital content and social media platforms. In addition to her on-air career, Alexandra has a number of brands and partners she works with to create content.”
In her role, she has gotten to interview Rickie Fowler, Michelle Wie, and more of the game’s best players.
O’Laughlin’s Interests Outside of Golf
Apart from her official position with the Golf Channel, O’Laughlin is dedicated to growing her own brand on social media. As of February 2021, she has 187,000 followers on Instagram.
O’Laughlin has also carried on an impressive modeling career during her upswing in sports media. She reportedly made her first appearance in a commercial when she was three-years-old and continued to take on various gigs throughout her childhood.
She eventually joined Maximum Talent Agency in 2011 and has worked in the industry ever since. Her work has been featured in GQ as well as on a billboard in Times Square.
In a 2015 interview with The Savoie Daily, O’Laughlin described her mindset when it came to modeling.
“I don’t think modeling should necessarily be your whole life. If you let it become who you are then you will lose all the other unique aspects to you. I never consider my title to be a “model”. I have a lot of other hobbies outside of modeling like video editing, golf, painting, guitar, etc. These are the things that ground me. Modeling is an industry where rejection is very common- having these hobbies makes the rejection seem less relevant.”
Golf Channel on YouTube
What’s Next for O’Laughlin?
With O’Laughlin’s impressive social media following and popular segments on Go Around With Alexandra O’Laughlin, the young content creator is trending upwards. She’s seemingly off to a fast start, despite just a few years in the business, similar to other Golf Channel rising star Blair O’Neal.
Although it’s unclear exactly what O’Laughlin will do next in the sports media world, it’s likely to be a smash hit.
The post Alexandra O’Laughlin: Who is The Golf Channel Rising Star? appeared first on The Spun.
