The Masters is back.
Even if fans aren’t able to travel to Augusta National Golf Course, they can soak in all the Masters action on television from the comfort of their couches with pimento cheese and egg salad sandwiches.
Tiger Woods is on track to play in his 26th Masters tournament. The five-time champion was in so much pain last year that he withdrew from the competition in the third round. He told reporters on Tuesday that he hurts ‘every day,’ but ‘I love golf’ and ‘I love to compete.’
Jon Rahm will be back to defend last year’s Masters title, which he won when he rallied to beat Brooks Koepka after being down two strokes before the final round.
ESPN will feature a veteran team of hosts and analysts for its coverage of this year’s tournament. Jim Nantz makes his return for CBS as does Verne Lundquist, who will be calling his final Masters.
Here are the broadcasters for the 2024 Masters:
ESPN broadcasters for 2024 Masters
ESPN will broadcast the Par 3 competition on Wednesday and the first and second rounds of The Masters on Thursday and Friday. The programming will also stream on ESPN+ and the ESPN app.
For the Par 3 challenge, play-by-play veteran Sean McDonough will be on air with analysis from two-time U.S. Open winner Curtis Strange. Marty Smith will conduct interviews, including new ‘walk and talk’ conversations with mic’d up players.
The network will open their coverage of The Masters rounds each day with ‘Welcome to the Masters’ hosted by Laura Rutledge and Smith.
SportsCenter anchor Scott Van Pelt will host the broadcasts of each round with analysis from Strange. SportsCenter anchor Michael Eaves will conduct player interviews.
For the ESPN Deportes broadcast, veteran reporter John Sutcliffe will be the playcaller with former golfers Hernán Rey and Matias Anselmo providing analysis.
Eight-time PGA Tour winner Geoff Ogilvy will join SportsCenter throughout the week as an analyst.
Jim Nantz among CBS broadcasters for 2024 Masters
CBS will broadcast the third and fourth rounds of The Masters on Saturday and Sunday. Programming will stream on Paramount+, CBSSports.com and the CBS Sports app.
Veteran broadcaster Jim Nantz will host The Masters broadcast for the 37th time. It is his 39th consecutive year covering the tournament. Trevor Immelman, who won the 2008 Masters, will serve has Nantz’ co-host. Last year was his first outing as an analyst at Augusta.
Ian Baker-Finch, Dottie Pepper, Frank Nobilo, Andrew Catalon and Amanda Balionis will also contribute to the CBS broadcast of The Masters. This will be the final tournament for longtime announcer Verne Lundquist.
CBS will have additional coverage called Masters Live that won’t air on television, but will be available on its streaming platforms. There will be special coverage of featured groups, Amen Corner and holes 15 and 16.
2024 Masters will be Verne Lundquist’s last
Lundquist has called The Masters for 40 years with CBS and is known as the voice of Augusta. The 2024 tournament will be his swan song.
Besides his extensive knowledge and confidence of the game, he is especially known for two calls: Jack Nicklaus taking the improbable lead at the 17th hole in 1986 and Tiger Woods’ famous 2005 chip at the 16th hole — the one where the ball lingered with the Nike logo before dropping into the hole.
“It will be emotional,” Lundquist told Yahoo Sports of his final outing. “This is the best-run tournament in captivity, and it is the best golf course, in my view, in America if not the world. … There’s a spot on my left thigh that I’ll be pinching to make sure I don’t shed a tear on the air. It’s been a great run.”
“His calls are truly legendary,” Nantz said. “Augusta is a place that comes to life every April, and it’s not just because it’s a gathering of the greatest players in the world. There’s a golf competition, but it’s a week of history and voices. … Verne’s going to always have a home with Augusta. He’s going to be a part of Augusta forever. Those calls that he made, they’re going to be played back 50, 100, 200 years from now.”