Will Jim Nantz call 2024 Masters? How many tournaments the veteran says he has left
You might have missed Jim Nantz's voice during March Madness, but he has no plans to stop calling the Masters any time soon.
The veteran announcer will be a part of CBS' coverage of the 2024 tournament at Augusta National Golf Course for the 39th consecutive year. It will be his 37th time hosting the broadcast.
Nantz will call the third and fourth rounds of the Masters on Saturday and Sunday with analyst Trevor Immelman, who won the 2008 Masters.
On Sunday afternoon, Nantz will host "Jim Nantz Remembers Augusta: The Spanish Inspiration." The hour-long show will air Nantz's interview with two-time Masters champion José María Olazábal and a feature tour of the golfer's homeland, the Basque Country in Spain. This year marks the 30th anniversary of his 1994 crown and the 25th anniversary of his 1999 title. The program will also look at the generational bridge between Olazábal's late mentor, Seve Ballesteros, and current Spanish stars Sergio García and Jon Rahm, who won last year's Masters.
Nantz covered his first Masters in 1986 at 26 years old and is responsible for creating the event's official slogan, "A tradition unlike any other." The phrase is now trademarked by Augusta. He's also called signature moments from Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus and his college roommate, Fred Couples.
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Nantz received a new contract from CBS in 2021. In a 2020 story from Front Office Sports, the father of three said he sees himself calling the Masters for longer than his initial goal of 50 tournaments.
"I used to joke around in speaking engagements: I know my retirement date already. God willing, my health stays well, and CBS willing, that April 8, 2035, would be the way I would love to close out my career," Nantz said. "… But here we are all of a sudden and that’s now well within sight. I’m feeling really young. Got a couple of young kids who are 4 and 6 years old. That date is way too close for me to be talking about retirement. So I would like to push it out for another, who knows, several years at least."
Nantz stepped down from covering the NCAA basketball tournament after last year's competition in Houston, which was a full circle moment for him. He cited his desire to focus on NFL and golf as part of the reason for letting go of March Madness.
"I’ve loved it, and it has been so much fun," Nantz said. "Something had to go, though. You’re never going to walk away from the NFL – it’s too big – and golf is deep in my heart."