Ranking the top ten traditions in The Masters Tournament history

Speaking of iconic CBS Masters connections, there’s no way I’ll ever be ready for a Masters without Jim Nantz. Credited with not one but two classic Augusta taglines (we’ll get into “a tradition unlike any other” another time), there’s nothing like hearing that first welcome on Thursday.

“Hello, friends.”

No, Nantz didn’t create that phrase for the Masters. As he told Golf Digest in 2016, the catchphrase was created at the 2002 PGA Championship. Nantz’s father was battling Alzheimer’s at the time, and the legendary announcer insists to this day that he’s never met a stranger.

Nantz does seem like one of the legit nice guys in both golf and broadcasting, and that has made it so much easier to welcome him into millions of homes at this time each year. From the first time you hear him welcome you to the Masters, to whatever his final championship exclamation will be, his are the stories you’ll be hearing 50 years from now. There’s something incredible about the ability to handle that kind of moment with the continuous class, skill and grace that Nantz has displayed.

Better yet, he’s a true historian of the game, so you can feel that every comment comes from a place of both passion and pure knowledge. Take some time this week, listen to Nantz, and tell me you didn’t come away knowing the game better for it.