Jim Nantz will be the first to start CBS Sports’ 66th consecutive year of televising PGA Tour next Wednesday.
Nantz, 63 years old, will be on his 38 th season at CBS. He will also be at the helm for The Eye’s coverage of golf with Trevor Immelman as his sidekick in the 18 _-hole tower. But for their debut at the Farmers Insurance Open, they will start out as if in a long-distance relationship, with Immelman on site in San Diego and Nantz at a still-to-be-determined location depending on how things play out this weekend in the AFC Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs.
It’s not ideal, and it makes one wonder why Andrew Catalon, Nantz’s backup pitcher, doesn’t pitch at Torrey Pines, as he will from time to time in the network’s coverage 23 FedEx Cup tournaments. It’s a good thing Nantz is the ultimate professional’s pro.
Nantz stated, “You’d be amazed at how easy it is”, when Nantz was asked about the greatest challenge in announcing a game from remote locations.
Nantz pointed out that this year will mark the third consecutive year that Nantz has used modern technology to call the Farmers from San Diego. The tournament was held between the AFC Championship game and the Super Bowl in 2021. Network executives did not want Nantz to be exposed to COVID, and he had to miss the big event.
“So I did it in a studio in Monterey, California. Nantz stated that last year, he did it from Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City for the AFC Championship game. Our director Steve Milton and Sellers (Shy), have the ability to create a bubble for us. I feel lost, and I enter a trance. It’s like being there. It’s very similar to what it feels like for me. Unless I look around, I feel like I am right behind the 18 and the green. It’s going fine.
Nantz will call his final March Madness and allow himself to “a little bit of an opportunity to catch my breath” ahead of April’s Masters.
Nantz stated, “I’ve been on this golden hamster wheel since a long time.” “There are few people who are able to own a significant property. I have had three. I don’t know of anyone else. It’s rare to have more than two people. It still means that I work 40-something weeks per year. People have come up to me to say that they know you are cutting back on your work hours. It’s something I know my children will appreciate. It’s exciting to me. Sean McManus and I had been discussing it for years. When was the right time to leave college basketball? As always, the stars aligned and we knew that Houston was the right place for us to make our move. Houston is the gateway to my career.
The CBS Sports schedule begins at Torrey Pines Golf Course, with a Saturday final-round finale. The third round will be played on Friday, January 27th at 5-8 p.m. ET) and the final round on Saturday (04:30-8 p.m. ET). ET) will be broadcast live on Paramount+ and broadcast on CBS.
It is still unknown where Nantz will play the game. We know that Nantz will not be in San Diego. However, Nantz could be found in Kansas City, Atlanta (a neutral location if Kansas City faces Buffalo), Buffalo or, if there is a second upset, Cincinnati.
He said that another season of golf calling was still new to him. “And there are always new wrinkles or challenges.”
