Kentucky Derby’s Voice Roared the Loudest Than Xander Schauffele & Bryson DeChambeau’s Faceoff at Valhalla

The 2024 PGA Championship final round at Valhalla Golf Club was an unforgettable event. This time, it went beyond the fierce competition between world-class golfers Bryson DeChambeau and Xander Schauffele. But in an unexpected turn of events, it was Kentucky Derby track announcer Travis Stone’s voice that captured the attention of the crowd.

Stone’s announcement of the final round provided a unique flavor to the high-stakes match, surprising everyone. His well-known voice, which is usually connected to horse racing, added a new dimension to golf and enhanced the occasion. This turn of events led to a thrilling finish to the PGA Championship, which Schauffele eventually won.

There had never been a start to the PGA Championship final round like this one. Travis Stone’s voice reverberated around Valhalla Golf Club as competitors readied. The official X handle of the Kentucky Derby tweeted, “The voice of the #KyDerby helped kick off the Final Round at the @PGAChampionship! 🌹⛳️,” along with a video introduction.

The original post by Churchill Downs with the caption, “The Final Round of the @PGAChampionship is underway and #ChurchillDowns track announcer @TravisStone has the call! 📣” brought this even more attention. The audience flew with energy as Travis Stone’s voice explored through the 2024 PGA Championship. Stone became the Kentucky Derby’s on-track voice when he was appointed as Churchill Downs’ new track announcer in December 2014. Before coming onboard at Churchill Downs, Stone had called races at Louisiana Downs, Aqueduct Racetrack, and Monmouth Park.

Moreover, Stone made a name for himself in the horse racing world at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York, and was named an All-Star Announcer twice. He wrote for The Saratoga Special and The Keeneland Special during their respective meets for three years.

How did Kentucky Derby track announcer’s voice flip every race into a tale?

Although Travis Stone began calling races professionally in 2006, his voice resonated with the audience since 2015. Stone discovered his love for race-calling at the Saratoga Race Track, where he was raised in upstate New York. “I realized when I was about 12 years old that I think this is what I really want to do in my life,” he claimed. He acknowledged his motivation to the race caller Tom Durkin, who offered guidance and support in response to a letter sent by a young Stone. The 40-year-old once underlined how crucial preparation is for his work.

“I have at least three pages of notes per horse,” he noted. To guarantee an accurate and captivating call, Stone carefully examines the physical characteristics, past performances, and jockey information of every horse. His goal is to turn every race into a tale, capturing for the viewers the minutest of the details and thrill of the occasion. But, Stone acknowledges that even with his thorough preparation, he is still susceptible to being caught off guard.

Shaking up the memories of Rich Strike’s unexpected win at the 2022 edition of Kentucky Derby, he talked about the tremendous pressure to make precise judgments under erratic circumstances. “He caught everybody by surprise, and so they crossed the wire, and you’re sort of like, ‘What just happened?’ and then I felt like I might have been having a stroke. Like I felt like this intense pain in my head and my neck. I was like, ‘Oh, my God.'” recalled Stone. But what makes Stone different from most of the race callers?

The difference lies in the approach. Most of the callers just mention the names of the horses with their respective position. But according to Stone, “I try and be a little bit more descriptive, a lot bit more descriptive, and then I really work on trying to make it a story where if you’re just happening to tune in to a race at Churchill Downs and they break from the gate, the way I’m describing what happens makes you want to tune in to the end.” With this unique element, his effort made the 2024 PGA Championship at Valhalla an unforgettable occasion in sports history, captivating the spectators and setting the bar for future cross-sport developments.