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Coverage of the 90th Masters was spread across broadcast and streaming networks, but Sunday’s final round belonged to CBS and Paramount+, with Jim Nantz on the call.
Over the decades, the network has perfected its coverage of the Masters into what is widely considered the gold standard in golf broadcasting. Rory McIlroy’s pursuit of a rare repeat at historic Augusta National drew criticism from some viewers as apparent broadcast errors surfaced.
After McIlroy’s second shot on the 18th hole, cameras lost track of the ball as it landed in the woods to the right of the fairway. It was one of several shots where tracers appeared to have trouble tracking while a ball was in flight. CBS, reportedly, uses a brief tape delay for certain shots rather than broadcasting every moment in real time.
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A general view of the 16th hole during a practice round ahead of the 2026 Masters tournament at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia, April 6, 2026. (Hector Vivas/Getty Images)
PGA Tour golfer Kevin Kisner, who served as a guest analyst during SiriusXM’s coverage of Saturday and Sunday’s rounds, was among those who questioned CBS’ approach to this year’s Masters during an appearance on Barstool Sports’ “Fore Play Golf” podcast.
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“I was so confused the whole time trying to follow the CBS feed behind the scenes,” Kisner said. “They’re literally showing things that I knew happened ten minutes ago, all day. It was so bad that I actually texted Colt Knost during the show and said, ‘Are you all showing a live photo yet?’ I’d be better off following the damn app than following your feed.”
Kevin Kisner lines up his putt on the 9th hole during the first round of the John Deere Classic golf tournament in Silvis, Illinois on July 3, 2025. (Marc Lebryk/Imagn Images)
Kisner compared the viewing experience — which he described as out of sync — to major events like the Super Bowl.
“So all your coverage of the Masters is fantasy world. It’s bulls—. Everything we’re all watching has already happened seven minutes ago. Can you imagine watching the fucking Super Bowl and saying, ‘yes, Tom Brady threw that touchdown seven minutes ago, we’re going to act like it’s live here so our announcers can look really smart and we’re going to sit here and he’s going to throw it wide open over the middle, but this actually happened there seven minutes in and everyone in the stadium took a p… What do we do, man?
NFL games feature several built-in commercial breaks, while the Masters has limited commercial breaks because multiple players shoot simultaneously on the course.
A general view of the leaderboard as patrons walk the course during a practice round ahead of the 2026 Masters tournament at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia, April 6, 2026. (Hector Vivas/Getty Images)
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ESPN owns the rights to this season’s next major tournament, the PGA Championship, which begins next month at Aronimink Golf Club in Pennsylvania.
