CBS gets boost from Woods’ Masters win

Jim Nantz was told by the late Ken Venturi after Jack Nicklaus’ 1986 Masters win that he would never see a day like that around Augusta National again.

Nantz’s 34th Masters ended up being just as dramatic with Tiger Woods’ first victory in a major in nearly 11 years and his first green jacket since 2005.

“I think as far as pure elation and emotion, the scene around the 18th was the greatest thing I’ve ever been an eyewitness to,” Nantz said after Sunday’s broadcast.

Nicklaus’ win was Nantz’s first year with CBS as he was calling the action on the 16th hole. He moved to the host role three years later and has had a front-row seat to nine of Woods’ wins in a major.

CBS was a huge beneficiary of Woods’ win. The network was on the air for 10 hours on Sunday because the final round was moved up due to possible inclement weather. CBS started at 9 a.m. and had six hours of live coverage followed by a four-hour recap show.

Director Lance Barrow said he found out about the early broadcast before going on the air Saturday. CBS president Sean McManus said that despite the time change, it still had the feel and drama of a final round at Augusta.

“During huge events like this, everyone steps up. I am very proud of what we did and it was a great broadcast,” McManus said.

When it comes to signature victories, Nantz noted there were plenty of differences between Woods’ victory Sunday, his first win in 1997 and Nicklaus’ rally.

“When Jack won, there were still a lot of players on the course. He was ahead of the lead groups, so he didn’t walk off the 18th knowing he had won it,” he said. “So, you didn’t have that celebration of the player and the game of golf in 1986 like you had here.”

In 1997, Woods had a nine-shot lead going into the final round with the only drama being if he was going to break the tournament’s 72-hold scoring record. Nantz said broadcast that day was more about storytelling and celebrating the social significance of Woods’ first major.

Nantz, along with Barrow and director Steve Milton, did a great job of letting the images of Woods celebrating with his family tell the story. Nantz was silent for 2 minutes, 42 seconds between the time he said, “the return to glory” after Woods sank his putt on the 18th hole and his family accompanying him back to the clubhouse.

Barrow also had the clip of Tiger hugging his father, Earl, after the 1997 Masters ready to go once the moment presented itself.

“I think what we saw today was such a human side of Tiger that if there were people that maybe weren’t the biggest Tiger fans in the world, I think [Sunday] they saw a side of this,” Nantz said. “We didn’t see him as a loving dad because that’s been shielded from public view. To see his interactions with his children [Sunday], that was as rich as the sports moment because we haven’t seen that before. We saw it with his dad.”

HONOR FOR WOODS

A day after Woods won his fifth Masters title and 15th major tournament in a rousing resurrection of his career, President Donald Trump said Monday he would give him an honor almost as exclusive as a green jacket from Augusta National Golf Club: the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

BIG PAYDAY

A bettor who risked $85,000 on Woods winning the Masters is now more than a million dollars richer.

The person who placed the bet at a Las Vegas sportsbook will get a check for $1.19 million Monday.

Sportsbook operator William Hill US says the bettor’s win is the largest golf payout in the company’s history.

The bettor placed the wager Tuesday at 14-1. odds.