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Coverage of the 90th Masters was spread across broadcast networks and streaming, but Sunday’s final round belonged to CBS and Paramount+, with Jim Nantz on the call.
Over the decades, the network has polished its Masters coverage to what is widely considered the gold standard of golf broadcasting. Rory McIlroy’s pursuit of a rare repeat at historic Augusta National drew criticism from some viewers as apparent broadcast errors emerged.
After McIlroy’s second shot on the 18th hole, cameras lost track of the ball as it landed in the woods just off the fairway. It was one of several shots where tracers seemed to struggle to keep up with a ball on the run. CBS, according to reports, uses a short tape delay for some images instead of 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 on 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 keep up with the CBS feed behind the scenes,” Kisner said. “They’re literally showing something that I knew happened ten minutes ago all day long. It was so bad that I actually text Colt Knost during the show and said, ‘do you all ever show a live shot?’ I’m better off following the f—ing 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 your whole Masters coverage is a fantasy world. It’s bulls—. Whatever we’re all seeing already happened seven minutes ago. Could you imagine watching the f—ing Super Bowl and being like, ‘yeah, Tom Brady threw that touchdown seven minutes ago, we’re going to act like it’s live here, so our speakers can sound really smart, and it goes all the way up the middle, and we’re going to sit wide open. It actually happened seven minutes ago, and everybody in the stadium goes p— What are we doing, man?”
NFL games have more built-in commercial breaks, while the Masters has limited commercial interruption as multiple players hit shots simultaneously across the field.
A general view of the leaderboard as patrons walk the course during a practice round prior to the 2026 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia, on April 6, 2026. (Hector Vivas/Getty Images)
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ESPN has the rights to this season’s next scheduled major, the PGA Championship, which begins next month at Aronimink Golf Club in Pennsylvania.
