Some golf moments stay with fans because of the words that come with them. At the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines, Tiger Woods sank a 12-foot putt on the 72nd hole, and Dan Hicks captured the moment with three unforgettable words: “Expect anything different?” It became one of golf’s most memorable calls. But this Saturday at Pelican, fans were left with a very different feeling. The familiar voice was gone, and a small ribbon on screen served as a reminder of the man they had lost.
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Golfweek senior writer Beth Ann Nichols set the scene on X: “There are ribbons at the starter box today at @theANNIKAlpga for players to wear in memory of beloved broadcaster Dan Hicks. The color chosen reflects the branding of wife Hannah Storm’s foundation, which helps raise awareness and fund treatment for children suffering from debilitating and disfiguring vascular birthmarks.”
Golf has found small ways to remember people it has lost. In 2022, PGA Tour players wore purple ribbons at the Sony Open to honor golf journalist Tim Rosaforte. A year earlier, European Tour players wore black ribbons in Dubai after the death of Peter Alliss in 2020. The LPGA has also followed this tradition. At the 2022 JTBC Classic, players wore ribbons to remember college golfers who died in a van accident. Now, the ANNIKA has become the latest event to carry that tradition forward. It is a simple gesture, but one that reminds everyone how golf remembers its own.
The Voice Golf Thought Would Last Forever
Dan Hicks’ death came as a shock to the sports world. He died on Wednesday at 64 after an acute illness, his wife, Hannah Storm, announced. Hicks was even scheduled to call Notre Dame’s game against Boston College that weekend. But nobody expected his voice to disappear so suddenly.
Hicks joined NBC Sports in 1992 and became its lead golf commentator in 2000. Over the years, his voice became familiar to millions of golf fans. For many, hearing him call a tournament was simply part of watching the game.
But Storm’s words showed that there was much more to him than his career. In her statement, she remembered him as “the person everyone wanted to be around.” Hicks is survived by Storm and their three daughters, Hannah, Ellery and Riley.
Why These Ribbons Carry Two Stories at Once
The color is the detail that stands out. Storm created the Hannah Storm Foundation in 2008 to raise awareness, fund treatment, and provide education for children with debilitating and disfiguring vascular birthmarks. Her passion stems from her own port-wine stain birthmark beneath her left eye.
Storm and Hicks met at CNN in 1989 and were married for more than 30 years. The ribbon’s color points toward the cause closest to her, which makes it a tribute to the man and to the work his wife champions.
That choice fits a pattern. The purple ribbons for Rosaforte matched the color of the Alzheimer’s Foundation. Rosaforte died after a battle with Alzheimer’s. The ANNIKA appears to be doing the same thing, letting the color carry the cause.
The tribute began on Thursday, when Grant Boone, Paige MacKenzie and Tom Abbott took a moment during Golf Channel’s coverage to remember their time with Hicks. As players continued competing at The ANNIKA, the broadcast team shifted attention from the action to the colleague they had lost.
On Friday, Woods posted his own tribute on X. It was a measured note from a player who rarely says much publicly, and it came from the man whose biggest victories Hicks so often narrated. “His kindness, warmth, and presence will be deeply missed,” he wrote.
The PGA Tour said Hicks’ voice was “woven into our memories of the game.” The theme across the tributes was consistent: warmth first, broadcasting second.
Hicks understood storytelling better than most. He once said broadcasters must make viewers care about the people on screen: “You’ve got to tell some personal stories.” That is why this tribute feels right. It tells a personal story with no microphone at all.
On a course known for low scores, the ribbon is the quietest thing on the property. It says that a man who gave golf some of its biggest moments is missed, and it points toward the cause his family holds close. For 34 years, Hicks told golf’s stories. This week, the sport told one of his.