The PGA Championship is a homecoming for ESPN anchor Michael Eaves

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) - Michael Eaves got his start in the television business as a producer and sports reporter at WKYT in the 1990s. Today, Eaves is one of the prominent faces in ESPN’s golf coverage.

“The first time I covered a major sporting event was because I was working at WKYT,” said Eaves. “Whether it was the first PGA Championship here in 1996, or Final Fours or SEC Tournaments, whatever it was because of WKYT, and that’s really where my career started.”

The Hopkins County native grew up around the sport of golf. He was the first black golfer to qualify for the Kentucky State tournament and has never lost his passion for the sport.

“I didn’t look like the typical golfer in the late 1980s ′s in Kentucky,” said Eaves. “I looked like a football player coming out there. Beating those expectations was a big deal to me. I enjoyed doing that.”

His knowledge of the sport has allowed him to build rapport with some of the game’s biggest stars, such as Tiger Woods.

“Our stories are a little bit similar,” said Eaves. “Both of our fathers were in the military. Both of our fathers took up golf late in life, introduced us to the game, and played competitively. He was clearly way better than I ever thought about being, but there has always been that connection because he knew how much the game meant to me as a kid.”

That makes this week extra special for Eaves; the game he loves is taking center stage in his home state.

“For this event to be held in your home state, that’s a big deal,” said Eaves. “Kentucky basketball, Louisville basketball, the football team, they’re big to us, but not always are they big to the country. This is a major golf championship. There are only four, and the only place the PGA Championship is being held this year is in Louisville, Kentucky.”