Jim Nantz Faces Backlash for Not Watching Bryson DeChambeau

Jim Nantz is taking some heat from fans after saying that he hasn’t watched any of Bryson DeChambeau’s competitive golf rounds this year heading into The Masters.

Nantz, the lead announcer for CBS, was asked about contenders for the Green Jacket during a media preview call for next week’s Masters coverage. After mentioning Scottie Scheffler, Nantz brought up DeChambeau.

“Probably right behind him would be Bryson, just given his recent track record,” Nantz said. “I have to confess, I have not seen Bryson hit a single shot this year. I have not seen him, so for me to say what his form looks like—all I can go off is the YouTube videos I’ve watched with my son. That’s all I’ve seen. Busy doing our own coverage, so I haven’t seen him play. But I know his desire to win there. I know Bryson quite well through the years and it wouldn’t surprise me at all to see him in a Green Jacket one day.

DeChambeau, who has won the past two LIV Golf tournaments, has the fourth-best betting odds to win the Masters, behind the PGA Tour’s Scheffler and Rory McIlroy, and fellow LIV member Jon Rahm. DeChambeau is also one of the most popular golf content creators on the internet, with more than 2.6 million YouTube subscribers. 

The most recent PGA Tour event on CBS was the third- and four-round coverage of the Genesis Invitational Feb. 21-22. NBC and Golf Channel have had all PGA Tour coverage since then.

In that time, LIV played three tournaments in March, in Hong Kong, Singapore, and South Africa—all broadcast on Fox in the U.S., albeit mostly during early-morning hours due to the international time differences. DeChambeau won the events in Singapore and South Africa.

Many fans on social media took exception to Nantz’s admission about not watching DeChambeau on LIV. Those criticizing accused the CBS announcer of lacking in preparation, considering DeChambeau’s status—by Nantz’s own admission—as a top contender.

Nantz, 66, lives in Pebble Beach, Calif., when he’s not on the road for CBS. The legendary broadcaster—set to work his 41st Masters next week—has not shied away from defending the PGA Tour since the launch of LIV in 2022. 

The Masters will be played April 9-12. Amazon and ESPN will split first- and second-round coverage, while CBS will have third- and final-round coverage of the tournament.

What Others Said About LIV Players

When speaking about LIV players, several other prominent Masters broadcasters took a different approach than Nantz.

CBS analyst Trevor Immelman said DeChambeau and Rahm “have been playing incredible golf.” CBS lead on-course reporter Dottie Pepper said DeChambeau “certainly comes in with plenty of momentum.”

During ESPN’s Masters preview call, the network’s lead anchor Scott Van Pelt said, “In Bryson, you have a guy who finished fifth last year, and is clearly trending in the right direction, in terms of understanding what’s required at Augusta, and has been playing fantastic golf on LIV.”

ESPN analyst Curtis Strange added, “Since you mentioned a couple of the players from over at LIV, Jon Rahm is playing better than he’s played in maybe a year and a half or so. … DeChambeau is playing well. I think those are two guys that you would expect to be on the leaderboard late Sunday.”