Scottie Scheffler places the green jacket on Rory McIlroy Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images
CBSGolfBy Drew Lerner on

Sunday proved to be one of the most memorable Masters finishes in years, perhaps decades. And CBS’s decision to go all-in on the eventual winner paid off in a big way.

Rory McIlroy’s thrilling, roller coaster victory that finally secured him the career grand slam delivered all of the triumph, heartbreak, and tension that an all-time great golf tournament can. And CBS, Jim Nantz, and Trevor Immelman rightfully put all of their eggs in McIlroy’s basket throughout Sunday’s round.

McIlroy’s story is one that is intimately familiar to golf fans both hardcore and casual. Every year for the greater part of the past decade, golf fans have asked: is this the year Rory McIlroy will finally win the Masters to complete the career grand slam? Especially in the absence of Tiger Woods, Rory’s performance is always the number one question on people’s minds.

Despite not having won a major in over ten years, McIlroy always finds himself in contention. He’s undeniably been one of the best golfers in the world during that period, but as his major championship drought continued to build, the questions became louder, and the uncertainty rose to a fever pitch. At 35 years old, was time running out on the Northern Irishman?

So as Rory McIlroy slept on the lead going into Sunday’s final round, the first time he had held an overnight lead at any major championship since the PGA Championship in 2014, the buzz amongst golf fans had reached unprecedented levels.

To add to the drama, McIlroy’s foil would be Bryson DeChambeau, who stole last year’s U.S. Open away from him after a brutal missed putt on 18 dashed any hopes he had of breaking his major drought.

But make no mistake, the main character of Sunday’s play was always going to be Rory McIlroy, no matter what was going on around him. And by leaning into that, CBS produced an all-time great Masters broadcast.

It didn’t take long for Sunday’s drama to take hold. McIlroy, entering the day with a two-stroke lead over DeChambeau, quickly surrendered his cushion with a double bogey on the first hole. One hole later, DeChambeau would take the lead, and golf fans were preparing themselves for a story that had become all too familiar: another major championship that McIlroy could not close.

That start changed the entire tenor of CBS’s broadcast. A round that began as a battle between two of golf’s biggest stars, on the sport’s most prestigious stage, quickly turned into something incredibly tense. At least for a moment.

After Rory’s nervy start, he hit his groove. Birdies on holes 3, 4, 9, and 10 had him at 14-under par, putting a sizeable gap between him and his chasers. CBS’s broadcast quickly pivoted from a potential final round meltdown to what seemed like it was going to be an hours-long coronation of golf’s most beloved player.

That is, until the unthinkable happened. McIlroy, on the par-5 13th hole, hit what was aptly described on the CBS broadcast as the worst chip of his life, missing his target by a good 25 yards and sending his ball into Rae’s Creek. The resulting double bogey would bring a whole host of challengers back into the picture, and the broadcast would take yet another turn.

This is the moment CBS hit its stride. For nearly four minutes, CBS refused to cut away from McIlroy for more than a few seconds to show other key shots around the course. The makings of an unthinkable collapse were all that mattered. What on-course analyst Dottie Pepper described as “the beautiful, safest angle” McIlroy could possibly have for the shot turned into several minutes of disbelief, which was exactly how viewers at home felt.

“Can’t explain it,” Pepper said.

“He’s blocked this short little shot by MILES. Ohhh, Rory,” an apoplectic Immelman chimed in. “I’m still in shock with this,” he’d continue. “The only way to explain it is the highs of the moment.”

Golf fans have seen it all with Rory. His vulnerability and candidness about his emotions, specifically around his quest for the career grand slam, has endeared him to the masses. Most watching his disaster on 13 likely had a visceral reaction and a pit in their stomach that would stay there for the remainder of the broadcast.

After the 13th hole, Nantz and Immelman conveyed that feeling the rest of the way. Every time something would happen that helped McIlroy’s chances to win, Nantz and Immelman, whether they realized it or not, seemed relieved. When something went awry, like McIlroy’s bogey on 14 or missed putts on 15 and 16, CBS’s announcing duo sounded genuinely distraught.

That’s not typically an advisable way to broadcast a golf tournament, but on Sunday it met the moment.

It’s true that announcers, regardless of sport, tend to root for storylines over anything else. A close game. A comeback. An underdog. Generally speaking, announcers don’t let this come across on a broadcast. They keep it professional.

But given what was at stake Sunday, Nantz and Immelman rightfully felt the need to be (modestly) partisan in their calls. Not to the point where they were overtly rooting for McIlroy, but to convey the gravity of the situation.

On Sunday, McIlroy stood at the doorstep of history. Multiple times it looked as if he’d let history slip away in heart-wrenching fashion. Instead, he triumphed. Albeit, in a way that made everyone rooting for him feel like they needed a cigarette when it was over.

This dynamic was perhaps best seen during Nantz’s two pivotal calls (or more accurately, non-calls) on the 18th hole. The first, McIlroy’s putt that could’ve won him the green jacket in regulation. The second, McIlroy’s eventual grand slam-winning putt during the playoff.

First, McIlroy misses the short putt low, but Nantz doesn’t say a word. Instead, the veteran play-by-play announcer, who was calling his 40th Masters, simply waited for McIlroy to tap in for bogey, and uttered a very terse “going to a playoff.” The CBS producers made sure everyone was aware of the stakes, displaying a chyron that said “FOR CAREER GRAND SLAM” prominently on the scoreboard.

Then, on the first playoff hole, with McIlroy facing an even shorter putt to win after an exquisite approach, Nantz did what all great announcers do in the biggest moments. They go silent.

After a short call as the putt dropped, Nantz laid out for what felt like an eternity. The enormity of the moment was palpable, and viewers at home could feel just how much relief Rory McIlroy felt in that moment.

It’s difficult to explain, but Jim Nantz and CBS were able to thread the needle on Sunday. He made McIlroy the main character he deserved to be, even to the point where various moments of disappointment and jubilation could be felt in his voice. But it never felt unprofessional. It felt just right.

All respect to Justin Rose, Ludvig Åberg, Patrick Reed, and DeChambeau, but McIlroy was the story on Sunday. Sometimes, it’s nice to feel the announcers live and die with every shot just like the fans at home. Not only did CBS’s broadcast deliver on that front, but it also made the viewers at home feel like they were at Augusta National.

That’s a difficult feat, but one that CBS pulled off flawlessly on Sunday.

About Drew Lerner

Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.

View all posts by Drew Lerner