What makes a tournament best, if you are watching from home? It’s true that one gets excited after seeing their favorite golfers on the greens, but it sometimes happens seeing favorite journalists as well. And CBS Sports journalist Amanda Balionis falls into that category. However, for a few weeks, she was away from the scene. But she is now back with her excitement for Masters. The last time Balionis appeared on the screens was back in February during the Genesis Invitational this year. After this mini hiatus of 6 weeks, the CBS Sports journalist is now back in action and looking forward to the 2025 Augusta National Women’s Amateur.

She confirmed it by sharing a story on her Instagram. She wrote, “Picture perfect day at @champions_retreat for the final practice day before round one of @anwagolf starts tomorrow!” Thanks to rival network NBC holding the rights to the Mexico Open, Cognizant Classic, Arnold Palmer Invitational, The Players, Valspar Championship, and the Texas Children’s Houston Open, she got some time off and took a break to relax. Now it’s finally time for the Masters. She will resume her role at the heart of the network’s coverage at the iconic Georgia venue.

Even before returning to the cameras, Amanda Balionis was filled with excitement to start the coverage. Last week, she shared a screenshot of her calendar for March 23, Sunday, having no events. With the same story, she excitedly wrote, “Last Sunday that looks like this before we get it going next week… the countdown to Augusta, a great run of golf and the @anwagolf is officially on!” Although the masters will officially from April 10 for the players, the reporters need to be there from  April 7 to start the coverage. But what exactly happened in her mini hiatus that made her this excited?

What did Amanda Balionis do during her break?

After taking a hiatus from work, Balionis made sure to enjoy and posted a lot of pictures. To enjoy it to the fullest, Balionis experienced a change of scene and tried a different sport in the snowy mountains, i.e., skiing. Aside from that, she also gave time to herself for little things like going on a walk, playing with dogs, having a cup of coffee, etc. Just before the hiatus was over, the 38-year-old also expressed her gratitude to her friends.

“Gratitude. For this time in my happy place, for the once strangers that became family, for all of the dogs, all of the nature and for the biggest reminder that nothing has meaning without community, connection and taking the time to take care of ourselves and the ones we love. Hey Georgia? I’m comin’ for ya,” she wrote with her picture on Instagram. Overall, it was a worthwhile break for her.

Now, the Augusta showdown is knocking on the door. Are you excited to see Amanda Balionis on the screens again? Do let us know in the comments below!