The analyst for LIV Golf criticized his competitor for his comments, suggesting that the golf community’s tense relations extend to the commentary booth.
The voice of LIV Golf, Jerry Foltz, criticized longtime rival Jim Nantz for his comments at the Masters, suggesting that the conflict between golf’s rival groups has extended to the commentary booth.
The 64-year-old sportscaster Nantz, who has been the voice of CBS’ coverage at Augusta National for 35 years running, was in the booth earlier this month when Scottie Schleffer emerged victorious. The New Jersey native, who had previously won in 2022, now added the Masters trophy to his victories at the Players Championship and the Arnold Palmer Invitational this year.
As the world No. 1 got closer to victory at the Georgia course, Foltz called the moment historic and was certain that PGA Tour players had benefited from pundit Nantz’s favoritism.
“The top five are all PGA Tour players,” the commentator said as Schleffer approached the 16th tee, where Ludvig Aberg, Max Homa, Collin Morikawa, and Tommy Fleetwood were vying for the green jacket.
But LIV’s Foltz took offense at the sportscaster’s remark, accusing the star of interfering with the ongoing disputes between the rival circuits. He said, “It was sad to me to see what Jim Nantz did as the players walked to the 16th tee,” during an interview on the Fairway to Heaven Podcast for the Saudi tour.
“A legendary broadcaster—who will undoubtedly go down as one of the greatest of all time—damaged his own career by pointing out that the top five athletes on the leaderboard they were displaying were all members of the PGA Tour. Sadly, Jim Nantz wasn’t well-received by the remarks on social media.
“That is beneath The Masters. Jim Nantz has always been much more important to me than something that trivial. Not too long afterward, Jim Nantz gave the retiring Sean McManus the most heartfelt, if you will, farewell narration. Sean McManus is currently CBS Sports’ chairman. He was very close to this, and it was his final master’s project.”
Even Foltz’s own remarks won’t melt the bitter divide that currently exists between proponents of the two schools of thought on golf. Despite the stunning idea for a ceasefire being announced last summer, LIV Golf, the PGA Tour, and the DP World Tour have yet to approve a long-mooted binding framework agreement over a merger.
The irate pundit went on, saying, “Jim McKay and Sean McManus’s father are two or three of the greatest network sportscasters of all time. You go, Jim McKay, Vin Scully, Keith Jackson. I’ve always assumed Jim Nantz would be one of those guys, but Jim Mackay would never have allowed Jim Nantz to go to the extent he did in an attempt to expose his allegiance to the PGA Tour.
“It truly soured the entire day after CBS and Sellers Shy performed such an amazing job of presenting the Masters in the manner that the Masters Tournament committee requires and desires, which is above all controversy and politics. When he said that, I was completely taken aback. On Sunday, we were down to just three holes remaining.
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