Imago
Credits: IMAGO
Imago
Credits: IMAGO
Imagine being a top contender in your sport, but your close friend misses out on watching you win. To make things worse, the friend even pushes you to the second spot on their leaderboard. That’s something Bryson DeChambeau must have felt when Jim Nantz pushed him behind Scottie Scheffler in the 2026 Masters race. But now, the patrons’ criticism seems to have forced Nantz to clear the air around his take and support for DeChambeau.
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During his first-ever appearance on the Pat McAfee Show, the CBS lead announcer said, “I really like Bryson’s chance. I was on a press conference call last week, and a lot of people took exception to a statement I made about how Bryson hasn’t had a shot so far this year. Of course, he’s been winning on the LIV Tour. He’s won a couple of starts, and I just want to say that was extracted from a quote where I had him as the favorite behind Scottie, number one.”
“And then Bryson, I happen to mention, I’ve had a long relationship with. He’s been to my home. My son was almost named after him. There’s a great friendship and respect there. And I think he’s going to, and I said this too: I think he’s going to win Augusta. Maybe it’s this year. He’s certainly coming in hot. I was just trying to make a point.”
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Nantz explained that his words were taken out of context. Many even began to doubt Nantz’s credibility and depth since he hadn’t watched a single swing by Bryson DeChambeau. The situation was particularly painful for Nantz, given DeChambeau’s recent success.
After three top 25 finishes (including a T3 finish at Adelaide), he won two consecutive LIV Golf events at Singapore and South Africa. But instead of watching DeChambeau win, Nantz judged his form through the golfer’s YouTube videos.
Nantz, on the CBS Sports Masters preview call, said, “Probably right behind him [Scottie Scheffler] would be Bryson, just given his recent track record. I have to confess, I have not seen Bryson hit a single shot this year. I have not seen him, so for me to say what his form looks like—all I can go off is the YouTube videos I’ve watched with my son. That’s all I’ve seen. Busy doing our own coverage, so I haven’t seen him play. But I know his desire to win there. I’ve known Bryson quite well through the years, and it wouldn’t surprise me at all to see him in a green jacket one day.”
“I really like Bryson DeChambeau and we have a great friendship..
He’s certainly coming in hot to Augusta”
Jim Nantz #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/38oGbEKp30
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) April 6, 2026
Back in May 2025, during an appearance on an episode of 5 Guys, Nantz clarified how DeChambeau is an asset. He acknowledged the LIV star’s rising following on YouTube and Instagram. He claimed that DeChambeau is a compelling figure to watch on TV. And in the major tournaments, DeChambeau would be a massive draw. Well, isn’t that true already?
Meanwhile, Scottie Scheffler has won only one event this year. And that came at the first event of the season—the American Express. Ever since then, his performance has dropped, especially in the first couple of rounds. While the first three events put him on the top five list, his last two finishes aren’t even in the top 20. But DeChambeau has won his last two championships.
However, Nantz has his reasons for not watching everything on the DP World Tour and LIV Golf. It’s because he reads everything that’s on the news. And that’s the reason why he gives credit to DeChambeau and Jon Rahm, two of the top golfers at LIV Golf and two of the top players with the highest odds to win the Masters Tournament this week. Even Nantz confessed that he’d love to see them both on the leaderboard.
And as the conversation continued, Nantz highlighted an unusual aspect of LIV Golf that brought his quotes out to the public. Through that, he addressed his stance on DeChambeau.
Jim Nantz stands by his comments about Bryson DeChambeau
During the show, Pat McAfee acknowledged that he had been misquoted and placed in a difficult situation. He simply didn’t know that Nantz would be in a similar spot. But the CBS sportscaster has an explanation for that.
“You got all these bots,” Jim Nantz claimed. “LIV has a pretty strong force of a social media team from what I hear, because I’m not on social media. But if you say anything that can be loosely interpreted as negative, they come after you.”
Yet, the broadcaster remained unbothered by the flurry of comments. He continued, “And that’s fine. I stood by my comments. I wasn’t trying to take a shot at Bryson. As I said, I have a great regard for him. I consider him a friend, and I consider him a favorite this week.”
In the end, his clarification does more than just defend a single comment. Despite the backlash, Jim Nantz reaffirmed his support for Bryson DeChambeau, stressing that context, not criticism, shaped his comments ahead of the Masters.
Furthermore, he believed that DeChambeau was strong enough to secure a win at the upcoming major. But do you agree with him?
Written by
Edited by
Riya Singhal