Jim Nantz Sets the Record Straight on CBS' 2026 Masters Broadcast
After a CBS camera snafu blocked viewers from seeing Rory McIlroy's 2026 Masters-winning putt on April 12, longtime broadcaster Jim Nantz went on the Pat McAfee Show two days later to back his network, calling the flub part of live TV.
Rory McIlroy buries the winning putt at The 2026 Masters, and a chunk of America can’t see the ball because the camera is lined up directly behind him. Not ideal. That angle set off a mini TV-nerd firestorm, and now CBS icon Jim Nantz is out here defending the broadcast while NBC’s Kevin Kisner is basically saying, what was that?
What viewers missed (and why it bugged them)
CBS did air McIlroy’s tournament- clinching putt on Sunday, April 12 — they just showed it from directly behind him. Which meant his body blocked the ball’s path. So fans were stuck reading Rory’s reaction and waiting for Nantz’s call to confirm it: 'Rory is a rare repeat winner at Augusta.' Drama? Yes. Ideal framing? No.
Nantz backs CBS on Pat McAfee
On Tuesday, April 14, Jim Nantz, 66, went on the Pat McAfee Show to stand up for the telecast. His tone was exactly what you’d expect from someone who’s been doing this forever.
'It’s live television. We all make mistakes.'
Nantz even pinched his fingers to show just how short the putt actually was — 'for the record, the putt was that long.' He added that if Rory had missed, it would have been 'the all-time story in the history of golf,' and pivoted to praising the crew for making split-second calls across four days, with hundreds of people contributing to roughly 30 hours on air.
He also acknowledged he can’t speak to every granular choice made in the truck, but said he walks away with 'warm memories' and a lot of pride in what the team pulled off.
For context: CBS has carried The Masters every year since 1956 — the first year the tournament ever aired on TV — and Nantz has anchored that coverage since 1989. This is not his first rodeo.
Meanwhile, NBC’s Kevin Kisner was not impressed
One day earlier, on Monday, April 13, NBC’s lead golf analyst Kevin Kisner, 42, unloaded on CBS’s Masters production on his 'ForePlay' podcast. His main gripe: not enough live shots, even with the tournament’s famously sparse ad load.
'What are we doing? You have no commercials. Play live shots.'
Kisner said NBC prides itself on airing every shot live and, when they can’t, they mark it as 'a moment ago' so the story still makes sense. He claimed there were 'a couple shots in the two days' that went out seven to ten minutes late. His verdict: 'I have no idea what they’re doing. Literally no idea.' He insisted he wasn’t trying to bury CBS — but, well, you heard him.
How it played out
- Sunday, April 12: Rory wins The 2026 Masters; CBS shows the clincher from behind, and the view is blocked.
- Monday, April 13: NBC’s Kevin Kisner rips CBS on 'ForePlay' for missing live shots and running delays of 7–10 minutes.
- Tuesday, April 14: Jim Nantz defends CBS on the Pat McAfee Show, calling it the reality of live TV and praising the crew’s work over 30 hours of coverage.
Bottom line
Is it annoying when the most important putt of the week is half-hidden? Yep. Is live sports broadcasting a chaos machine where a single camera choice can make or break the moment? Also yes. Nantz leaned on experience and loyalty to the crew; Kisner went straight for the jugular about execution and timing, especially with (as he put it) 'no commercials' to work around. Two very different views of the same telecast. Either way, Rory cashed the short one — we just had to take the call’s word for it before we could actually see it.