As the azaleas burst and the dogwoods sway in the gentle Georgia breeze, Augusta National Golf Club prepares to welcome the world’s very best golfers for the 2025 edition of The Masters Tournament, set for April 10-13. But for millions of fans tuning in, the event wouldn’t feel complete without the familiar greeting: “Hello, friends.”
For the 40th consecutive year, Jim Nantz, the iconic voice of CBS Sports, will take his place in the 18th tower, weaving the soundtrack of spring’s most revered golf tradition.
At 65, Nantz remains a towering figure in sports broadcasting, a man whose dulcet tones have narrated some of the game’s most indelible moments. From Jack Nicklaus’ improbable charge in 1986 to Tiger Woods’ triumphant return in 2019, Nantz has been the steady hand guiding viewers through the drama of Augusta. As he approaches this milestone—his 40th Masters call—his career stands as a testament to longevity, passion, and an unshakable love for golf.
A Journey Rooted in the Fairways
Born on May 17, 1959, in Charlotte, North Carolina, Nantz’s path to broadcasting stardom began on the golf courses of his youth. Raised in New Orleans and later New Jersey, he was a standout golfer at Marlboro High School, eventually earning a spot on the University of Houston’s golf team, where he roomed with future Masters champion Fred Couples. It was there, amid the camaraderie of the fairways, that Nantz’s passion for the game took root—a passion that would shape his professional destiny.
Nantz joined CBS Sports in 1985, initially cutting his teeth as a studio host and on-course reporter. His first Masters assignment came in 1986, a serendipitous debut that coincided with Nicklaus’ sixth green jacket victory at age 46.
Nantz, then just 26, was an on-course reporter, soaking in the atmosphere of Augusta National. “I stayed in the tower until the green-jacket presentation,” Nantz once recalled, a memory that marked the beginning of a lifelong bond with the tournament.
By 1989, he had ascended to the anchor role, partnering with legends like Ken Venturi, Nick Faldo, and now Trevor Immelman, the 2008 Masters champion — who succeeded Faldo as lead analyst in 2023.
Over the decades, Nantz’s voice has become synonymous with the Masters, his signature phrase “A tradition unlike any other” echoing through living rooms worldwide — a line he coined in 1986 that Augusta National later trademarked in 2014.
The Masters: A Career Cornerstone
While Nantz’s resume boasts an extraordinary breadth — seven Super Bowl calls, 32 NCAA Final Fours, and countless PGA Tour events — it’s the Masters that holds a special place in his heart.
“Golf is as much a part of my life as anything,” he told Golf Digest in 2023. “I can’t wait to get back to Augusta.” That sentiment rings truer than ever as he prepares for his 40th broadcast, a streak that mirrors the consistency of the tournament itself, which CBS has aired for 69 consecutive years.
Nantz’s Masters tenure is a gallery of iconic calls. In 1986, he watched Verne Lundquist exclaim “Yes, sir!” as Nicklaus birdied the 17th — a moment Nantz still ranks among the greatest. In 2005, he narrated Woods’ gravity-defying chip-in at the 16th, the ball teetering on the edge before dropping to roars from the gallery. And in 2019, he captured Woods’ fifth Masters win with a poetic flourish: “The return to glory!”
Each call is a brushstroke in a masterpiece painted over four decades.
Yet, Nantz’s connection to the Masters transcends the microphone. Since 2006, his production company, Jim Nantz Productions, has created annual specials like “Jim Nantz Remembers Augusta,” revisiting historic tournaments with fresh perspective. The 1960 Masters, re-broadcast in color, made television history — a project that underscores Nantz’s reverence for the game’s past.
A Milestone with an Eye on the Future
As Nantz gears up for his 40th Masters, he’s not slowing down. Though he stepped away from NCAA basketball in 2023 to focus on family and his remaining passions—golf and the NFL—he’s already set a bold target: calling the 100th Masters in 2036.
“April 14, 2036. That is my scheduled retirement date,” he told Bunkered magazine in March 2025. “It would be a perfect place to walk out.”
At 76, it would mark his 51st Masters, a fitting capstone for a broadcaster obsessed with numerology and history.
The road to 2036, however, hinges on variables beyond his control—his health, CBS’s year-to-year deal with Augusta National, and the network’s willingness to keep him in the chair. Yet, Nantz remains optimistic. “If all the stars aligned, it feels like a pretty good exit point,” he said, though he’s hinted at the possibility of extending his run if the fire still burns. After all, this is a man who thrives on the grind, once calling the Super Bowl, Final Four, and Masters in a 63-day span—a feat he’s repeated multiple times.
The Voice of a Generation
Nantz’s Masters legacy is more than just longevity; it’s the warmth and gravitas he brings to every broadcast. His “Hello, friends” opener, born as a tribute to his Alzheimer’s-stricken father, has become a personal touchstone for viewers. Paired with his meticulous preparation and knack for the perfect phrase, it’s made him a beloved figure in a sport that cherishes tradition.
This year, as he shares the booth with Immelman and a seasoned CBS crew — Ian Baker-Finch, Dottie Pepper, and others — Nantz will also bid farewell to a legend. Lundquist, his longtime colleague, called his 40th and final Masters in 2024, leaving Nantz as the last link to CBS’s golden era of golf coverage.
“His calls are truly legendary,” Nantz said of Lundquist, a sentiment he’ll carry into this year’s broadcast.
A Tradition Unlike Any Other
On April 10, when Nantz settles into the 18th tower, the weight of 40 years will accompany him. From his first glimpse of Nicklaus in ’86 to the modern era of Woods, Rahm, and Scheffler, he’s chronicled golf’s evolution with a voice that’s both timeless and timely.
For fans, it’s hard to imagine the Masters without him—just as it’s hard to picture Augusta without its pines or pimento cheese.
As the 2025 Masters unfolds, Nantz will once again invite us in: “Hello, friends.” It’s a greeting that promises not just a tournament, but a journey—one he’s led for four decades, with the hope of a dozen more to come. In a sport defined by its past, Jim Nantz remains its present, and perhaps its future, too — a tradition unlike any other, indeed.
(Editor’s note: Nantz has retracted the retirement statement, suggesting it was said off-hand as a dream scenario.)
