When you’ve covered The Masters for four decades, people naturally want to know which one was “the best.” CBS’s Jim Nantz, no surprise, is ready with an answer. And it’s a two-parter, three-parter, four-parter.
Nantz started his Masters coverage career in 1986.
“Walked into one of the greatest tournaments, if not the greatest tournament of all time,” he said about his debut in 1986, when Jack Nicklaus won his sixth and final Masters. What a year to start. No one knew in advance how historic that Sunday would turn out to be.
Nantz said, “Tiger is a two-way entry with ’97 and 2019 because I can’t pick between those two.”
Then, of course, there was Rory McIlroy's victory just last year.
“Tiger as a combo – Jack, Rory. I would say those were the three greatest Masters I’ve ever witnessed,” he said. “I’ve put the Freddie Couples win in a separate personal category because nothing can touch my heart more than that.”
Couples and Nantz were on the golf team together at the University of Houston.
Then Nantz gave co-anchor Trevor Immelman an honorable mention for his victory in 2008.
This year is more than another Masters for Nantz; it is the 90th edition of the tournament. And it’s the 40th anniversary of the Nicklaus win.
“We take great pride in the history of this tournament. I don’t know if there’s a person on this call who couldn’t almost name every single champion, how many strokes he won by, and who the runner-up was,” CBS coordinating producer Sellers Shy insisted.
Nantz was asked if he remembered the days when the Masters broadcast was only the “second” nine, as the Masters likes it to be called.
“Tiger’s win for the ages on April 13, 1997, it was still being talked about how there was no front nine coverage. That really wasn’t accurate,” Nantz recalled. “Our first shot that day on the air – if you went back and look at the broadcast, which is available as you know on YouTube – was the second shot into the fifth green by Constantino Rocca. He was playing in the group with Tiger, and it took three years later before it was presented as first-nine coverage.”
Nantz said the first time they covered all 18 holes was in 2000, when Vijay Singh won.
Contrast that with today’s every shot, every hole.
“It is a massive undertaking,” Nantz added, “I am thrilled that our technical team, which is the unsung heroes that never get credit, they’re nominated for an Emmy for their Masters coverage.”
For him, it was the fulfillment of a childhood dream to be able to be a part of the broadcast team for the Masters. The late CBS Executive Producer for golf, Frank Chirkinian, told Nantz a month in advance that he would be part of the Masters.
“I guess I can say it now that I’m 66 – what in the world was CBS thinking putting me in the 16th tower? I was just a kid,” Nantz said.
Sometime before, Nantz had flown down to Augusta shoot promos for the Masters that would air during the NCAA Tournament. As Nantz explained, Chirkinian wanted to have him do the promos so that the audience would know who he was when the Masters rolled around.
Nantz said he pretended to be nonchalant about it, but it gave him a month to think about it, and prepare for it because, no surprise, he knew the history of announcers at the 16th, one of which was the legendary Henry Longhurst.
“I was standing in front of the 16th green about to shoot one of the on-cameras with Frank’s direction, and he told me I was going to be on that hole,” Nantz recalled. “I had a month to obsess over it and battle some nerves and anxiety about the fact that I would be so late in the game on the 70th hole come Sunday.”
Immelman asked Nantz to give him the famous line Nantz uttered when Nicklaus birdied the 16th on Sunday.
“The Bear has come out of hibernation,” Nantz answered. “It was original, and somehow it dropped out of the sky and into my head, and I uttered it. And I was thankful that after the show Frank Chirkinian gave me a big hug and told me that I would be back the following year.”
Epicurean news: One secret can now be revealed. Nantz, Immelman and Dottie Pepper all agree that the best sandwich is the egg salad.