Amanda Balionis turns on her ‘vacation mode’ after spending 19 weeks on the road

After nearly five months of non-stop travel, CBS Sports reporter Amanda Balionis is taking a break from the sport of golf. With the PGA Tour regular season coming to a close, she has stepped away from work to unwind and recover.

Balionis gave fans a glimpse of her downtime through an Instagram story, where she was seen relaxing with a green face mask. She captioned the post:

“Vacation mode activated.”

The face mask she used is the Advanced Fango Active Mud Mask by Borghese, designed to target fine lines, blemishes, and enlarged pores. The skincare product, priced at $53, was part of a surprise gift package sent by Borghese along with a handwritten note.

The message thanked Balionis for her work in sports broadcasting and praised her role in elevating women's presence in golf.

She reacted by writing:

“Coming home to the best surprise 😍 thank you for the sweet note and more importantly for helping me get my skin recover from 10000 flights.”

Screenshot of Amanda Balionis's Instagram stories (via @balionis)

Amanda Balionis has been traveling since late March, covering a packed golf schedule that included stops at Augusta, Hilton Head, New Orleans, Charlotte, Philadelphia, Liberty National, Quail Hollow, Colonial, and Muirfield Village. Most recently, she was on-site in Greensboro, North Carolina, for the Wyndham Championship.

On Monday, Balionis reflected on her journey with a post looking back on her 19 weeks on the road. She thanked the CBS Golf crew and shared behind-the-scenes moments from the season:

"Hard to put into words what 19 weeks on the road really looks like. For us announcers, we have it easy - we show up to work with hotel rooms already booked, everything we need waiting at check-in."

She went on to credit the behind-the-scenes crew for making the broadcasts possible:

"90% is the result of tireless effort by so many hardworking, talented, and passionate men and women. Many of them are on the road for months without going home, waking up at 6a.m.- or earlier -for crew calls, and staying well past the final putt."

Amanda Balionis, who joined CBS in 2017, has become a key part of the network’s golf coverage and will also return to her NFL reporting duties this season, as confirmed in CBS’s latest announcer lineup.

Amanda Balionis honors Ian Baker-Finch after he retires from broadcasting

Amanda Balionis paid tribute to longtime CBS broadcaster Ian Baker-Finch as he wrapped up his final season on air. Following the conclusion of the Wyndham Championship, Balionis shared a heartfelt post on Instagram, highlighting her favorite moments from the year, beginning with a clip featuring Baker-Finch.

"Hard to believe that’s a wrap on the 2025 season. 19 weeks of incredible moments and memories. There’s only one way to kick off a recap of some of those favorite moments — and that’s with @ianbakerfinch,” she wrote.

Amanda Balionis, who worked alongside Baker-Finch for nine seasons at CBS, reflected on their time together on-air, especially at The Masters.

"It’s been an honor to work alongside IBF for the past nine seasons on @golfoncbs, and truly surreal to co-host the Late Show at @themasters in Butler Cabin with him for the last three. Finchy has been a household name — first as an elite player, then as an elite broadcaster — for more than 30 years. Thank you for everything, Ian!"

Ian Baker-Finch retired this year after more than three decades in broadcasting. A former professional golfer, he played on the PGA Tour starting in 1985 and famously won The Open Championship in 1991. He began his broadcasting career with ESPN in 1998 and joined CBS Sports in 2007. Over the course of his playing career, Baker-Finch won 17 titles worldwide.