Augusta Golf Show/Rich Lerner & Jim Nantz

This weekend,
Our final Masters preview show with Golf Channel's Rich Lerner and Jim nantz from CBS

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to the Augusta Golf Show with John Patrick here
on News Talk WGAC.

Speaker 2 (00:06):
He is a friend to this program. It is a
pleasure to welcome Michael Bred back to the Augusta Golf Show.

Speaker 3 (00:12):
I believe in four different balls. There's a ball position
that's on your nose, there's.

Speaker 4 (00:16):
One that's on your left eye, there's one that's on
your left ear.

Speaker 3 (00:20):
And then there's one that's on your on your arm.
Fin That's where I think the ball positions are, and
there's four of them.

Speaker 2 (00:25):
We're talking with Heimi di As here on the Augusta
Golf Show.

Speaker 4 (00:28):
Didn't have a happy childhood, child of divorce, didn't have
a lot of effection from her parents, kind of lived
between divided family and teammates. Sure Tiger had all her
love all the time, and and Tigers that way with
his kid.

Speaker 2 (00:44):
We're talking with David Faridy here on the Augusta Golf Show.

Speaker 5 (00:48):
It's been an incredible life, you know, and live was
the only thing that I hadn't done, you know.

Speaker 6 (00:54):
I've never had a chance to be a lead analyst
and do something new like this, you know, So it's
just I've been all right. Irishman in the right bar
at the right time.

Speaker 2 (01:03):
Hey, Hi morning, Welcome to this week's Augusta Golf Show.
I'm John Patrick. Thank you for being here this morning.
I do want to say hi to all the radio
partners that we have across the Southeast, especially this radio partner,
because News Talk Information WGAC is home base.

Speaker 7 (01:21):
Hi.

Speaker 2 (01:21):
Do you, however, you listen to the program, and I
hope you listen each week on GAC, but these days,
these days you can listen on the iHeartRadio app. We're
also on the iHeartRadio app under Golf NewsNet Radio. We're
on the Odyssey and iTunes apps, We're on Apple Podcasts,
We're available on a lot of the devices that you
use to stream at home. So whatever the method, however

(01:45):
you listen. Thank you for doing that. If you want
to get in touch with me, you can easy to do.
All you get to do is send me an email.
You can do that right now, John at Augustagolfshow dot com,
follow me on x at Augustagolf Show, mentioning the website
Augustagolfshow dot com. Just letting you know that if you
can't stick around for the entire show this morning, you

(02:07):
can catch up on the conversations on the website Augustagolfshow
dot com slash listen. All right, tell you about the
show this morning, one last show before the eighty ninth Masters.
As the kids say, two more sleeps. You know what,
it doesn't get any better than my two guests this morning. First,

(02:29):
and I've said this before, I think he's one of
the most articulate voices in the game. He's thoughtful, he's insightful,
he's respectful. It's as if he was born to cover
the game of golf. Now he has to heard Brandl
Shamblee and Paul McGinley on the live from shows at
the major championships each year. But other than that, he'll

(02:51):
be on the job next week with Live from the Masters.
My friend rich Lerner will be here for an extended conversation.
I can't wait to hear what he's got to say
about this year's Masters. And then can't have this show
this week in this town without this guy. Jim Nantz

(03:12):
from CBS Sports will be here. This will be Jim's
fortieth Masters. We'll talk a little bit about that, but
I want to have a discussion with him today about
the state of broadcasting the game of golf these days,
So sit back, relax and enjoy. If can, I got
rich Lerner and jim Nantz for you this morning. As always,

(03:33):
I'll let you know where to find the golf on
TV this weekend. And if we have time this morning
and our Why I Love the Game segment, World Golf
Hall of Fame member one of the best, the best
to ever play the game, Nancy Lopez, will tell us
why she loves the game of golf. Okay, coming up,
Jim Nantz, the first golf channels, rich Lerner, stay right there.

(03:57):
Thank you for being here this morning. You're listening to
The Augusta Golf Show with John Patrick here on News
Talk and Information WGAC.

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Speaker 1 (07:22):
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Speaker 2 (07:34):
Good morning, and welcome back to the Augusta Golf Show.
I'm John Patrick. Golf Channel's rich Lerner is one of
the most important voices in the game. For my money.
For my money, there is no better writer than rich
someone I have to have on the show at this
time every year, it is a pleasure to welcome rich
Lerner back to the Augusta Golf Show. Rich how are you.

Speaker 6 (07:57):
John doing great? Looking forward to other week at Augusta's
something like it.

Speaker 2 (08:02):
You're at all of the major championships, So let's put aside,
same course every year. In your eyes, what makes the
Masters different than the other three?

Speaker 6 (08:18):
That's a good question. Familiarity. You know the holes on
that second nine certainly, as well as you know the
holes at your home course wherever. That might be, The
sense that something special is going to happen, because it

(08:39):
almost always does. The fact that decorum and civility are
valued there in a way that I think we can't
comfortably say is the case in the rest of the world.
People slow down at the Masters. There's a sense of intimacy.

(09:03):
I understand it's grown uh uh you know, but it
feels in some ways, at least the way I've experienced
it like a member guest at times. And I think
that's by design. They want this feeling of warmth of intimacy. Uh.

(09:24):
And and just you know, you you walk, you don't run. Uh,
you can get you can get loud there, and you know,
we all know, you know that there are Nicholas roars,
there are tiger roars, but but it's all done in
a way that still seems respectful. Uh. And uh, of

(09:47):
course you know the fact that it's the first I
think is crucial, you know, for for most people if
you're from the north or the northern climate eastwhere in
the east, the long wait you know, through the for
the snow to melt, for that first hint of spring. Symbolically, Uh,

(10:10):
it's it represents kind of a you know, turning of
the page. Uh, that there's hope that I can go
out and play some golf. The sun is shining, the
birds or birds are singing, you know. I know that's
all that you know, that flowery masters stuff, But I
think it's legitimate.

Speaker 4 (10:28):
Uh.

Speaker 6 (10:29):
You know, it's it's the time of the year that
is is so important. So those are just you know,
a few ways. And there's the way that the players
feel about it. You know, it's it's not just a tournament.
It's an occasion one in which you know, you receive
an invitation as if it were a wedding. You know,

(10:50):
you open that invitation, it's a it's a fresh haircut,
and and and some new outfits kind of of an occasion.
It's one where you, you know, you intricately plan your
week with your family and whichever friends that you might
be bringing along. I think a lot of planning goes

(11:11):
into it for all of the competitors, So you know
it aura is is hard to define what is aura,
But I think when you're on the grounds of the Masters,
you you understand it better. You know, it's it's what
is it? It feels, you feel it, you can sense it,

(11:35):
and it's you know, and it's not just the noise
that you that will hear when somebody makes eagle at
thirteen or fifteen. It's it's in those quiet moments, you know,
where the that those quiet moments when Jack's ober has
put at seventeen, where Tiger's studying the shot and the

(11:59):
seventeen and nineteen maybe six, or Tiger studying is his
chip shot in two thousand and five, that quiet that
built to a crescendo is palpable. It's powerful and then
quiet no more. So I think it's all of that,

(12:19):
and I could I'm sure keep going if my mind,
you know, we're to keep wondering why the Masters is
a little bit is a little bit different.

Speaker 2 (12:28):
It's not like you've been doing this for fifty years.
But do you get a sense, rich that this generation
of players deeply appreciate this golf tournament respect it.

Speaker 6 (12:41):
I do, yes, And then I don't know how you.
I don't know how you couldn't. You know, every player
from every generation understands the meaning of the Green Jacket.
I think they understand the history of the tournament. They
understand it. It's value, and it's important and just how

(13:03):
beautiful it is. Uh and just forgetting, you know, winning
or losing the tournament, just if you love the game.
How privileged you are to be able to walk those
grounds and compete there. Uh, it gets inside of you.
I mean you know. Uh, if you don't, then uh,

(13:28):
you know, I wonder you know what what you're missing
if you if you don't understand the full weight of it.
So yeah, I do think every generation, yeah, has an
understanding of what this is.

Speaker 2 (13:46):
We're talking with rich Lerner here on the Augusta Golf Show. Again,
comparing to the other majors, is the Masters easier or
harder for for you and Branda and Paul to a handicap.

Speaker 6 (14:03):
Probably easier to handicap. Brandal likes to say this is
this is really a top fifteen in the world tournament.
The requirements sort of dictate that you need to work
it both ways. Typically you need to have more in
your art sale. You need to have a complete gain.

(14:27):
So you know, even when you look at somebody a
recent vintage you who you might think was sort of
off the radar. I'm thinking about Danny Willet in twenty
sixteen was twelfth in the world at the time. And
so that you know who's twelfth in the world right now,
that's Shane Lowry. And again I'll pick I just got
off a meeting with Paul and Brandle, you know, and

(14:49):
Brandal likes Shane Lowry because Brandal's research reveals that the
statistical categories that matter most at Augusta National Our strokes
gained approach and strokes gained around the green. And if
you combine those two statistical categories, Lowry currently leads the

(15:14):
tour and he's twelve in the world. We were just joking.
Shane Lowry for the single season Slam, he catches fire
and wins at Augusta. Then he goes to Oakmont, where
he led in twenty sixteen, faded late but had a
good crack at it, and then he goes back to
Port Rush where he won to be open in twenty nineteen.

(15:36):
We had a little bit of a laugh at that,
but anyway, look a shorter field. It's what is it
ninety four players. I think at the moment twenty one
of those our first time participants, five or amateurs. You
can begin to with with all due respect to all
of the players. And then you have some players who
are over fifty, over sixty. In fact, Langer will play

(16:00):
his final Masters his fortieth and final, Freddie plays his
thirty nine. You can begin to winnow down this field,
and again the requirements of Augusta National close that window
even further. I mean, it's hard to imagine Scotty Scheffler

(16:21):
not contending here. He just is such perfect fit for
this golf course. High ball hitter, ability to work at
both ways, certainly an improved putter, the patience, the game
management skills, the mental toughness, he is every bit of it.
And the record bears that out. And Scheffler is wading

(16:44):
into Jack Nicholas Tiger Woods territory. If Scotty wins, he'll
be just the second to one three masters in a
four year stretch, and the other is a guy named
Nicholas who did it nineteen sixty three, sixty five, and
sixty six. He'll have three masters by the age of
twenty eight. Figer won his fourth at twenty nine and

(17:10):
then his fifth at forty three. Jack won his fourth
at age thirty two, then again in seventy five he
would have been thirty five, and then obviously famously at
the age of forty six. So Scotty will be on
track to run those guys down. And he's a strong

(17:31):
favorite this time around. Respect you know, he's going to
have to beat the likes of obviously Rory, You're going
to have to beat Colin, Dustin Thomas is playing well.
Ludwig we think will be a threat. I would not
discount Xander Shockley. You know, Xander led the field that

(17:51):
the valves Bar people sort of overlooked Xander because the injury,
and he's just sort of working his way back into form.
The field Strokes gained approach the ballast Bar Cagy. He's smart,
and Exander wins, then he sort of becomes the twenty
twenty five version of what Brooks Kopka was seven eight

(18:12):
years ago. Xander will have won three of the last
four majors, and then you start to look at him
as as the guy to beat when you show up
at the biggest events in the game. But anyway, that's
just a snapshot of the field.

Speaker 2 (18:27):
Hang on, Rich, good time for us to take a
break when we come back. You know, I want to
get into Rory and the Masters. But while I have you,
take a look at a couple of the golf headlines
from earlier this week. Headlines are brought to you by
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(18:50):
Joe Griner. Max and Joe childhood friends have been together
on tour for six years. In that time, Max won
six times, but this year this year he's missed four
consecutive cuts. In fact, he hasn't played on the weekend
this year in any tournament that's had a cut. His
new caddie, Bill Harkey. Bill is caddied for Chris Kirk.

(19:13):
Bill is also caddied for our buddy Colt nost. Hey
don't forget when you're logged into your Facebook page. Come
on over, become a fan of our Facebook page. The
Augusta Golf Show with John Patrick and we keep talking
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on that conversation if you are following me on x
at Augusta Golf Show still to come this morning, Jim

(19:34):
Nantz will be here, but when we come back, we'll
pick up the conversation with rich Lerner from Golf Channel.
Don't go away. You're listening to The Augusta Golf Show
with John Patrick here on News Talk and Information WGAC.

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Speaker 2 (23:06):
Welcome back to the Augusta Golf Show. I'm John Patrick.
Let's pick up the conversation with rich Lerner from Golf Channel.
Rich we were talking about you and Brandall and Paul
and some of the conversations you guys have been having.
Has this come up about just how high the bar
is getting for Rory in this tournament?

Speaker 6 (23:30):
Well, yeah, sure, yeah, I mean, look, there's immense pressure
on Rory. When he shows up, he has to answer
the questions with each past in the year, face the
media and then think about it. So you know, the
question is why is this year? Why would this year
be different? One? You could say lot of averages will

(23:53):
begin to tilt in his favor at some point too.
He's playing the best golf arguably he's played in his life.
I mean, he's had stretches where he was lights out.
We know that he won his first two majors by
eight shots, but he's a more complete player than he's
ever been. He has the ability to win with his
D game. I think he demonstrated that at the Players

(24:15):
he's better with his short irons, able to flight it,
control the spin and the trajectory better, something he's worked
hard on. And then I think psychologically he's just in
a better place through the work that he's done with
Bob Rotella and with Ryan Holiday, the books on the stoics,
just this idea that you have to be willing to

(24:39):
have your heart broken if you are as good as
Rory is, whether you just have to accept that you're
going to get kicked in the teeth fairly often. He's
not alone. They all did Palmer famously, even Jack No.
Nineteen runner up finishes. You have to be willing to
take it. At that level. You contend a lot, you

(25:02):
lose a lot, and he's lost plenty painfully in the
last few years. So I like what he said when
he sat with us after having won the Players. He
harkened back to Los Angeles and a comment he'd made
after he lost the US Open at LCC North in

(25:23):
twenty three Wyndham Clark. He said, I would go through
that paint a hundred more times to get my hands
around a trophy, to get my arms inside a green jacket.
I would willingly do that. So that sort of acceptance,
I thought, is a positive death. And I do think

(25:43):
just generally he has more at his disposal now and
as a level of confidence that I don't think he
had before. When you begin to understand that you don't
need to be perfect to win, I think it frees
you up. And I think that's the case with Rory.
I think because you know he hits these jaw dropping

(26:05):
drives and the swing appears to be the kind that
you could hang in a museum, his short game gets overlooked.
I think he's twelfth coming in or somewhere in that
neighborhood strokes game putting. He's been a good putter, but
raises the question if he has four feet on the
seventy first hole at the Masters, you know, does Pinehurst

(26:27):
at number sixteen of our eighteenth does that go through
his mind? I think we got a little taste of
how he might handle it. At the Players. He had
four feet tough, four feet to not just to sort of,
you know, make the playoff spawn behind him still at
thirty feet and almost made it to win outright. But
had Rory missed that, you know, he would have blown

(26:51):
the players. And I also like the fact that Monday
after he won, he acknowledged that when he arrived for
the start of that Monday morning playoff sixteen toll of
the players that he was as nervous as he has
been in a long time. Why because he really wanted
to win it. I think that's some that's a player

(27:12):
who's in touch with reality. It's not this I'm staying
in the process and it's just another tournament. No, these
are big acknowledge it, embrace it, walk through it. And
I think that's what you Rory's done. I think also,
and you'll hear this from Paul. Paul's close with Rory,
and he's done quite a bit of work recently with

(27:34):
Bob Rotella. And I think Rory's at a place where
he's trying. He's coming after Scotty, he's borrowing from Scotty,
and he's acknowledged, and we think Rotella is pushing him
in this direction. Go prove it. Come on, man, you're
as good as Scotty, You're better than Scotty.

Speaker 3 (27:55):
Go prove it.

Speaker 6 (27:57):
And Rory has has been look about his admiration for Scotty,
wanting to be boring like Scotty, meaning let's just let's
stay away from the unforced air, the silly mistake, you know,
the forty yard drive dead center, you know, one forty

(28:17):
eight in crappy wedge to fifty three feet three putt bogey.
Let's let's knock that stuff off. No more of that.
And so I think that's what we're seeing, and it's
the it's really fascinating, this this kind of evolution of
a great player. And to just sort of, you know,
go back to your original point, John, about the pressure

(28:39):
that's that Rory's facing. He is undeniably a great player.
He's got he sails into the Hall of fame. He
is already and forever more a great player. But what
he's trying to do is something more. He is trying
to become a stone cold legend. And you know, he's
trying to become a man for all seasons. One of

(29:01):
six to of one, all four and that's it. He
can walk off into the good night. If he wins
this Masters, this will be I think as potentially could
be as consequential as any Masters of the last fifty years.
And I know that's a heavy statement, but this will

(29:22):
be in the same historical neighborhood as Jack in eighty six,
Tiger in ninety seven, Tiger in twenty nineteen. That's the
short list. But if you have, if you win and
to complete the career Grand Slam, and it's only been
done once in the last fifty nine years. All the

(29:43):
other you know guys did it through nineteen sixty six,
Jack Nicholas, you know, as Gary Player did in sixty five,
and twelve players have had won three and not the fourth,
including Arnold who was close sixty eighth PGA. You know
speak you know, finished third I think at the twenty

(30:07):
nineteen PGA, but you're not really all that close sneed
at the forty eight US Open, was in it late,
never go never won the US Open. You know, Phil,
You forget Phil was close at the US Open up
until twenty thirteen. He had two lousy wedges at Marion

(30:30):
and Justin Rose won. He then later won the third
leg he won at Mirfield to the Open Championships, but
thereafter he never really got close at the US Open.
So bottom line is, I have to tell you it's
hard to do and it's a head scratcher that Rory
has not won a major since twenty fourteen. I remember

(30:52):
when he won in Valhall and Nicholas said that he
thought Rory could win fifteen to twenty, and you know
he He's won everything else since then. He's won the
Players a couple of times, He's won I think three
FedEx Cup titles, won DP World Tour titles. He just
hasn't been able to get that nature monkey off his back.

(31:13):
But I think he's in a better place than he's
been in a long time, both technically with his game.
Swing's not perfect, but it just has more at his disposal,
and then I think psychologically he's in a better place
as well.

Speaker 2 (31:29):
He's rich Lerner he'll be at the desk anchoring the
desk for live from from the Masters on Golf Channel.
You know I appreciate the time. I can't wait to
see you. Thank you, Thank you for this.

Speaker 6 (31:38):
Rich John, always a pleasure and keep up the great
work with Sea Augusta.

Speaker 3 (31:45):
Thank you.

Speaker 2 (31:46):
Rich There you go, rich Lerner from Golf Channel. While
I have you, take a look at the golf on TV.
This weekend. Golf on Television brought to you by the
Forest Hills Golf Club, the area's premier public facility channel.
We'll get the coverage started, got the corn Ferry Tour
and the Club Car Championship. Today's coverage begins at ten

(32:07):
this morning. Tomorrow's coverage starts at four to thirty. NBC
will then have coverage sixth Annual Augusta National Women's Amateur.
Later today coverage begins at noon. Golf Channel will have
the early coverage PGA Tour Valero Texas Open. Golf Channel's
coverage begins at one both days. NBC and Peacock then

(32:29):
pick up the coverage of the Valero. Coverage begins at
three thirty this afternoon. Two thirty Tomorrow afternoon Golf Channel
with coverage of the PGA Tour Champions Tour. The James
Hardy Pro Football Hall of Fame Invitational coverage begins at
three point thirty this afternoon, two thirty Tomorrow afternoon. And

(32:50):
then finally, Golf Channel and the LPGA Tour coverage of
the T Mobile Matchplay coverage begins at six this evening,
six thirty tomorrow evening. And don't forget Golf Channel's coverage
of the Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals. Always a great,
great Sunday morning. It begins at eight tomorrow morning. When

(33:12):
we come back. Hello friends, Jim Nantz from CBS will
be here. Don't go away, you're listening to The Augusta
Golf Show with John Patrick. Here on News Talk and
Information WGAC.

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Speaker 3 (35:16):
Hi, it's Johnson Wagner and you're listening to the Augusta
Golf Show with John Patrick.

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Speaker 5 (36:17):
Hey Steve, this a gimme? What I said?

Speaker 3 (36:21):
Is this a gimmey?

Speaker 9 (36:23):
You're one eighty from the Green Jim maybe one ninety.

Speaker 8 (36:27):
I am, But you know is it a gimme?

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No?

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Speaker 1 (36:49):
If you'd like to comment about anything you've heard on
today's show, just send John an email. Send it to
John at Augustagolfshow dot com. That is John at Augusta
Golf Show dot com.

Speaker 2 (37:03):
Welcome back to the Augusta Golf Show. I'm John Patrick.
My friend Jim Nance will be calling his fortieth Masters
next week. You know, he has told us this he
wants to do. You're going to try to do at
least eleven more so that he can get to the
one hundredth Masters. Pleasure to welcome my friend Jim Nance
back to the Augusta Golf Show.

Speaker 3 (37:22):
All right, Jim, I am, well, my friend, this is
another one of those traditions, kind of unlike any other kind,
This every year and I look forward to being with you.

Speaker 2 (37:33):
I wanted to spend some time with you today talking
a little bit about telecasting the game and golf in general.
And I'll tell you where this first question comes from.
There is an article in the latest edition of Golfer's Journal,
and you're quoted in this article about now we telecast

(37:54):
and we see the golfer leaving the eighteenth Green on
Sunday and walking to the scorers, and I think everybody
remembers Tiger when that happened. How do innovations like that start, Jim?
And how easy or not easy is it to innovate
especially at Augusta.

Speaker 3 (38:14):
I think just these creative minds that I'm so fortunate
to work with are always trying to find little windows
that can be improved, that can capture a moment and
elevate it to the next level. So you're thinking of
twenty nineteen when Tiger holed out and then he walked

(38:35):
through the human tunnel all the way back to the
clubhouse and the scoring center, and it was beautifully framed,
and we had one of these super high definition cameras
following him where it kind of blurred the background. It
was cinematic, and it really it's credit to the crew

(38:57):
at that time. Lance Barrow was on that show and
our director Steve Milton, who was still a part of
our show and still leads our way. He's a genius,
and Lance was to Lance's retired after twenty twenty, but
it actually began before that. They found that window and

(39:22):
realized that the moment was so rich in emotion that
you're right there with the dampion, you're taking a walk
with them, and they're walking on air, and you're capturing it.
And that was an addition here. I think in the
last let's call it ten years ago, and I just

(39:43):
think it's a special part of the broadcast on Sunday.

Speaker 2 (39:48):
Were there some things, Jim, that happened during COVID that
I'm thinking about, the drones and things like that. Were
there things that happened during COVID that have remained That
was big?

Speaker 3 (39:58):
That was huge because drone coverage was really starting to
take hold in golf television, and there was a belief
that you needed to do drone coverage only on seaside
courses where you could have the drone hovering over a
lake like we did at Harding Park in San Francisco offshore, Okay,

(40:21):
so that if anything happened to the drone, you know,
it's not it's not impeding on the golfers, or there's
not some sort of worst case scenario where the throne
needs to come down over the golf course. So it
was phased in right around the time that the Masters
and the year before too. But at Augusta in November

(40:42):
of twenty twenty, when, of course there were very few
patrons on the course, only a few members were a
part of the scene there. It gave us a whole
new look of Augusta National Angles we had never seen before.
It was gorgeous, and we have a really challenged crew

(41:09):
of people that work on that and go with us
all of our tournaments, some of whom used to hold
the steadi cams and handheld cameras on our regular coverage,
but have gone on and even started their own drone business,
which we collaborate with them and hire them, and it's wonderful.

(41:32):
And I think that's the biggest thing that came out
of that November twenty twenty Masters technically and innovatively was
the drone footage that we had that year. And you
know what, six months later, when a Decie one and
twenty one the drone had passed the tests that came
apart a part of our coverage.

Speaker 2 (41:50):
There is another trend in your business where broadcasters are
not necessarily on site for these golf tournaments. Talk to
the listener, explain to the listener why, And I think
you would think this. You think it's essential and important
to have you and your colleagues on site those weeks.

Speaker 3 (42:10):
I do, and I've been fortunate that I've only had
to do that a couple of times remotely, and I'm
speaking specifically of calling the Tory Pines Golf tournament in
late January from the AFC Championship Stadium. I'm doubling up
on that week. It's gone now five consecutive years. The tournament,

(42:32):
the Farmers ends on the Farmer's Insurance opens on a
Saturday night in prime time. In both Friday and Saturday night.
We have CBS network coverage and I'm calling it, for
example this year from Arrowhead Stadium and I'm whatever, it
is sixteen one hundred and fifteen miles away from that
gorgeous site and we're able to get through it. It

(42:55):
doesn't feel ideal to me. This is one of these things, JP.
It's kind of hard to describe, but I need to
feel the presence of the crowd and what's going on
all around me.

Speaker 6 (43:11):
I just.

Speaker 3 (43:13):
My voice gets pitched at the level naturally of what
I feel in terms of like how to punct away
a moment, raise my voice with energy, you play off
of it. Even more nuanced than that is when there's
something emotional happening, a crying scene on the eighteenth green

(43:36):
or a final walk of the fairway at seventy second
and have to see it, feel it, and Yeah, it's
becoming more and more, it's becoming part of coverage. Thankfully,
as CBS, we still believe in the old fashioned way
that the broadcast team should be sitting courtside up in
the booth behind the eighteenth Green, and that's the we

(44:00):
do the great, great, great majority of all of our shows.

Speaker 2 (44:03):
We are talking with Jim Nantz here on the Augusta
Golf Show. We learned Frank Nabolo will be taking over
for Verne Lunquist on the sixteenth poll and that you
and Trevor will do a little bit more work on twelve.
I think Colin twelve would be great fun.

Speaker 3 (44:18):
I'm excited about that. I really am never really called
action from twelve. Maybe there was a year, by the
way where it lined up differently. I don't think so, though,
Ye done in forty years, This would be my fortieth
and I get to tie. You just mentioned vern the

(44:40):
Great Verna Lunquist for the record for longevity at Augusta
with Mesher's tournament. So that's nice. But listen to the
headline here is Frank, not the fact we're doing twelve
and Frank going to sixteen is a wonderful move, richly
deserve move for Frank. He has way of capturing a

(45:01):
moment I've loved having him as a broadcast partner. It's
been about ten years now, and he's a wonderful person
to travel around the country with and call golf tournaments
and have dinners with, and just to be on the
air and hear some of his insight. He has the
right sound and empathy for golf because there's so many

(45:23):
things that make the game difficult, so many moments of
triumph but hardship also rank just naturally. That's who he is.
Is great feel for people, and I'm excited about him
being at sixteen.

Speaker 2 (45:37):
There's also additional coverage this year on Paramount Plus and
again this year you will produce a special that will
air before the final round on Sunday. You're going to
salute and honor Bernhardliner. Bernhard will be a guest on
this program next weekend. Give me a little preview.

Speaker 3 (45:58):
Well, it's like all of them are the great champions.
It's difficult to say goodbye. And I'm just so happy
that we could be aligned with Bernhard's farewell and have
our Sunday show that precedes the CBS Network broadcast be
all about Bernard longer.

Speaker 4 (46:16):
Well.

Speaker 3 (46:16):
We spent time with him in the fall including being
at his home in Florida. And he's such a prideful guy.
Whose journey to a pair of green jackets and all
these other phenomenal things he has done along the way.
It is truly one of the great careers and a
testament to just being able to face adversity fight through it.

(46:42):
I mean he's battled the yips, for example, three or
four different times during his career, including when he is
even still a teenager, which is rare. But he's done
it with class and faith. And he has a deep
love affair for Augusta. And it's going to be sad
when he walks up the eighteenth, whichever day it is.

(47:04):
I'm hoping it's on Sunday not Friday. He's capable, Oh absolutely,
he's certainly capable of making the cut. But he's a
wonderful human being. He's done so much for so many people.
And we have coverage back at his old hometown and
hasen Germany at the golf course he grew up as
a caddy. He rode a bike to the old course

(47:26):
to caddy as a nine year old learned the game
of golf. There was a pictorial a Golf Digests cut out,
if you will, two pages of Jack Nicholas's golf swing
that was taped above the caddy shack exit door, and
he sat there and studied Jack Nicholas's golf swing with

(47:50):
no formal lessons, and he just copied every position in
that photo sequence. And that's how he became a golfer.

Speaker 5 (47:59):
Wow.

Speaker 2 (48:01):
Before I let you go, I want to go.

Speaker 3 (48:03):
By the way, Yeah, by the way, when he won
an eighty five for the first time, of course, we
want to get at ninety three. That meant the following
the year he was there to present the Green Jacket
in eighty six to Jack Nicholas. Exactly what are the
odds astronomical odds of something like that can happen?

Speaker 2 (48:18):
Before I let you go, I want to go off
topic a little bit. March Madness, and we're all getting
set for a duke National championship, aren't we.

Speaker 3 (48:26):
Jim, You're you're poking at me here, aren't we.

Speaker 6 (48:31):
Oh?

Speaker 3 (48:32):
I guess, listen, I guess. I mean we hear it
every time we play. Everybody fix the opposition. Everybody's got
every reason of world wide, we're not going to win.
I'm talking to Houston, Milma Manter, But you know, we
guess we've got unlucky. We want thirty of our last
thirty one games. Everybody says we can't. So we'll see.
We'll see. Duke has no no disrespect for no no, no,
no no, or not no disrespect for you. But we're

(48:53):
pretty good.

Speaker 7 (48:54):
I know.

Speaker 3 (48:54):
I live in Tennessee these days. Whereas we had to
beat Tennessee in the regional final, so I heard all
week leading up to the possible matchup, and then once
it was cemented with their regional semi final wins on Friday,
about how ust is good, but this is the SEC.
Guys don't know what it's going to be like. And
by the way, we played in a hostel, not hostile.

(49:15):
So we played in a decidedly home court advantage setting.
It was twenty to one Orange over Red in the stands,
and hey we won by nineteen. I guess we got
lucky again, just saying so we'll see.

Speaker 2 (49:28):
Yeah, but you know what, but you know what, it
has been different this year without Greg Gumbele. Tell me,
tell me something about give me a Greg Gumbele story.

Speaker 3 (49:39):
Well, I got so used to either throwing it to
Greg or Greg throwing it back to me, it felt
like that half of my broadcast urviage has been all right,
let's go back to Greg Gumbele in New York and
vice versa. Our careers paralleled in so many ways. He
was the lead play by play guy of NFL and

(50:01):
I was in the studio. Then he was in the
studio and I was the lead NFL play by play guy,
and he did the tournament for so many years, and
of course I was out on the road and back
and forth we would go. So our actual FaceTime together
was not as much as you might think, only at
big events where the studio crew and the game crews
would come together. It was just a classy presence. Everybody

(50:23):
liked him. There was the warmth that you obviously felt
by just the fact that you remember him, and I
love the fact that you did. It's just hard to
believe he's gone. He died during the holidays just three
months ago, and a lot of heavy hearts during our
tournament coverage this year. I'm not part of it anymore,

(50:44):
you know, I stepped back from basketball for twenty three
but you still want to. I turn on the TV
and see Greg in the studio, and that comfortable presence,
that friend that he was to those who knew him
and millions of people who didn't. You know, friendly face
in a fine man.

Speaker 2 (51:04):
You know, I don't think the viewer can truly appreciate
the stuff Greg or Ernie or whatever those anchors do
during something like that. That's a special skill set.

Speaker 3 (51:17):
It is, and they traffic traffic it with greater plumb
and dignity, And it's not easy. I was a host
for five years back from eighty six through ninety and
and then I got to host the NFL Today for
six years. And again there's a lot of technical parts

(51:37):
that go into that that the viewer wouldn't have any
idea exactly how it works. But if you have a
calming presence and you can assimilate a lot of information
and a lot of talk in your ear while you're
on camera and nowhere to hide behind, let's say game action,
you're on camera and it's live, Yep, there are going

(52:01):
to be bumpy parts to it. Greg was never rattled.
He truly was a pros pro.

Speaker 2 (52:07):
He is Jim Nance and he will be on the
call again this year at the Masters. You know how
much I appreciate you taking the time to do this.
I know you're awful lot this time of the year. Jim,
thank you, Thank you so very much. I look forward
to seeing you.

Speaker 3 (52:20):
I don't think I could do the Mansters without least
starting here with you, so we'll keep that tradition going.
And I'm happy, happy anytime I have a chance to
hear you and your voice, and I'll look forward to
catching up with you next week in Augusta.

Speaker 10 (52:34):
Thank you.

Speaker 3 (52:35):
Jim.

Speaker 2 (52:35):
There you go, Jim Nantz from CBS Sports. Don't go away,
We're coming right back. You're listening to the Augusta Golf
Show with John Patrick here News Talk Information WGAC.

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Speaker 1 (55:52):
All of the conversations from the Augusta Goolf Show are
available on our website Augusta Goolfshow dot com slash listen.
That's Augustagolfshow dot com slash listen. Welcome back to the
Augusta Goolf Show. I'm John Patrick.

Speaker 2 (56:08):
Hey, don't forget if you would like to comment about
anything you heard on the show this morning, good or bad.
I would love to hear from you. I love the feedback.

Speaker 3 (56:16):
I really really.

Speaker 2 (56:17):
Really want to know what you think. Just send me
an email John at Augustagolfshow dot com. All right, that's
the show for this morning. I do want to thank
my guests rich Lerner, Jim Nantz. Thank you for taking
the time to listen. Please make sure the other members
of your forsome know about the program and when they
can they tune in, but do remind them. The shows

(56:38):
available on demand twenty four to seven on the iHeartRadio app,
they Otasea app, iTunes, and Apple Podcasts. It's also available
on a lot of the devices you use to stream
at home. Wallace and Son Lawn and Garden Show coming
up next, See and See Automotive Show. After that, Mary, Liz,
ab Jenna and I will be back Monday morning at

(57:00):
five thirty. Have a great weekend. Thank you for listening
to The Augusta Golf Show with John Patrick. Please stay
well and please stay safe. I'll see you next time,
So long, bye bye.

Speaker 1 (57:10):
The Augusta Golf Show with John Patrick is a production
of the Murto Group, which is solely responsible for its content.
Copyright twenty twenty five. The theme for The Augusta Golf
Show was written and performed by Jim Brickman. I'm Jeff
Lawrence and we'll see you next time.