Masters never fails to produce some unmatched excitement on the leaderboard, but once again, it was the television coverage that has let it down. And this time, with even bigger blunders. The firestorm was ignited on X (formerly Twitter) by Tron Carter, a leading voice from the popular No Laying Up podcast. 

“I’m all for establishing a narrative and showing shots on tape, but the broadcast is like 8 minutes behind on Scottie and Burns. It’s wild,” Carter shared the blunder.

Moments later, the situation turned from a simple delay into a total failure as Carter added: “Wait they just totally skipped Scheffler’s birdie putt on 2? Really?! 🫣”.

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The exclusion of a scoring moment from the most dangerous player on the course was the ultimate sin. But the confusion only deepened as CBS failed to show the crucial moments for other leaders as well.

Carter gave another update shortly after: “Wait, Burns just Icarito’d the green on 2 with his FOURTH SHOT and we haven’t seen what happened or been provided with any context? What is going on?”

After starting the day four shots back following a career-best 65 on Saturday, Scottie Scheffler was the most dangerous player in the rearview mirror of the leaders. Fans tracking the live data knew he had already completed the par-5 second. Yet CBS was still showing live footage of players who hadn’t even reached the green yet.

The 2026 Masters broadcast was a textbook case of too many cooks in the kitchen. The rights were fragmented across four major platforms: CBS, ESPN, Amazon Prime Video, and Paramount+. This fragmentation led to a clunky and exhausting experience as fans were forced to jump between apps to find live coverage.

And the frustrations around the 2026 Masters coverage actually began long before the leaders teed off their first shot on Thursday. The Par 3 Contest on Wednesday was met with unanimous negative reactions as ESPN heavily featured celebrity influencers like Kevin Hart and Jason Kelce. And later, the decision to interview WWE superstar The Miz during the opening round only added more fuel to the fire.

And now, by the time Sunday’s blunders occurred, the limit of fan tolerance had been crossed.

Fan reactions to the disconnect between the CBS broadcast and the reality

“Scottie missed his putt on 2 eleven minutes ago, and it hasn’t been shown, it’s insane,” one fan added, confirming what Carter previously said.

Scheffler birdied the 1st and 3rd holes to cut his deficit to just two shots early on Sunday. By showing a tape-delayed second shot from hole 3 when he had already converted the birdie, CBS stripped the ‘live’ charge of its impact.

That’s why one fan said, “It’s proper shocking,” while another added, “Just completely blew past Scottie’s putt. I guess it never happened.”

Plus, this isn’t the first time golf fans have felt dishonestly covered in the Masters 2026. Earlier in the week, ESPN faced a similar backlash when they missed Rory McIlroy‘s stunning 30-yard chip-in on the 17th hole during the second round. And while the crowd at Augusta erupted in a roar that was audible on the broadcast, ESPN was showing a live shot of Viktor Hovland walking on the course. And later, instead of acknowledging the delay, host Scott Van Pelt and the ESPN production crew aired the replay a few seconds later and pretended it was a live shot. Fans have labeled that pathetic. 

The frustration extended to the other leaders, too. Sam Burns’ sudden collapse went unaddressed on the main feed.

So, one fan said, “Kinda crazy I had to go to the app to see what the hell happened with co-leader Sam Burns.”

Sam Burns entered the day tied for the lead at -11. When he “Icarito’d” the 2nd hole with a double-bogey, it was a massive shift in the tournament’s power balance. That TV viewers had to switch to the Masters app to see the highlights a failure in primary coverage.

Another repeated the same, saying, “We might as well just watch the shots on the app. They’re live a full five min before cbs shows them.”

The Masters app is widely considered one of the best in sports, providing video of every single shot hit by every player.

Fans also accused the network of prioritizing advertisements over the actual play-by-play.

“But we need more puff pieces and G-wagon commercials,” one fan said.

And it wasn’t just Scottie Schffler or Sam Burns being missed. Fans were equally annoyed when the broadcaster was not showing Justin Rose, as one fan noted, “Where’s Rose?!?”

Rose and his caddie spent two minutes and 50 seconds debating a nine-iron approach on the ninth fairway. While some people, such as broadcaster Josh Carpenter, praised the decision to stay silent and let the conversation play out, fans on X fumed over the lack of a time violation.

There is a saying that “The Masters doesn’t begin until the back nine on Sunday.” However, the 2026 tournament proved that if the television coverage is missing the drama on the front nine, whatever happens on the back might be in vain for the millions watching at home.