A split-second mistake on a quiet California fairway helped set the tone for one of the most recognizable voices in sports. Ahead of a milestone year behind the microphone, Jim Nantz is revisiting the awkward, almost unbelievable moment that tied his first days in golf broadcasting to the global movie icon, Sean Connery. The story doesn’t start with a broadcast booth or a championship call. Instead, it is about a nervous newcomer, a legendary actor, and a door that changed everything.

“I had done something Blofeld and Odd Job had failed to do. I had bloodied Bond,” Jim Nantz revealed in a conversation with Golfweek. “I apologized up and down. I thought I had lost a lunch invitation. We had grilled calamari. I didn’t even know what that was at the time, but it sounded interesting. At the end of the day, he said, you must come over and play my club. If you ever find yourself in Costa del Sol, I live in Marbella. You will be my guest at Valderrama. ‘How do I find you?’ I wondered. ‘I’m in the phone book. Under Connery, Sean,’ he said.”

Jim Nantz is marking his 40th year with CBS Sports in golf broadcasting. He joined the team at the 1986 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. However, Frank Chirkinian, CBS’s executive producer of golf at the time, asked him to just observe and learn. But ahead of a Pro-Am round that Chirkinian was supposed to play, the CBS executive got drunk. So, he had to request Nantz to be his substitute. And that’s how the story unfolded.

When the legendary broadcaster arrived to tee, he came to know that his partner was none other than Sean Connery, the actor who had played James Bond in many movies. After the round, Connery wanted a ride back to The Lodge at Pebble Beach, and Nantz offered to take him.

When the two were getting into the rental car, Jim Nantz didn’t notice Connery’s left leg was still outside, and slammed the door hard to close it. Blood started running down his leg. However, Sean Connery took it very warmly. He even invited Jim Nantz for lunch and to play at his club. What started as a silly mistake has become a legendary broadcasting career at CBS Sports.

The CBS broadcaster will kick off his 40th year at CBS Sports today by providing play-by-play commentary at the 2026 Farmers Insurance Open.

After starting in 1986, Nantz hosted the Masters in 1988, the PGA Championship in 1991, and became the golf anchor in 1994. He even pioneered the “Triple Crown” in 2007, becoming the first to call the Super Bowl, the NCAA Men’s Final Four, and the Masters in 63 days. He then repeated the feat in 2010, 2013, and 2016.

Over his career, Nantz has won four Emmys and five National Sportscaster of the Year awards. Some of the key honors in his resume include the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame (2018), the PGA of America Hall of Fame (2023), the Lifetime Achievement from Broadcasting + Cable (2023), the National Sports Media Association Hall of Fame (2021), the Ambassador of Golf (2018), and the Arnie Award (2019). In 2025, First Tee named him an honorary chair.

Notably, there have been rumors that the broadcaster plans to end this amazing run after the 2036 Masters.

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Clearing the air on the retirement date

As Nantz approaches another landmark season, the conversation around how long he plans to stay behind the microphone has grown louder. Many media outlets noted that he plans to end his Master’s announcements in 2036. This is because it will mark the event’s 100th edition. The Masters started in 1934. However, the event was on a hiatus from 1943 to 1945, which means that 2036 will mark the 100th edition.

Jim Nantz dismissed the rumors, saying the dates have been floating for a very long time. The recent rumors felt familiar to him, almost like they were recycled from past years. He pointed out that the idea of calling the 100th Masters has been part of his public comments for more than a decade. It is framed as a personal goal rather than a formal plan. Old interviews from outlets like The New York Times, Golf Digest, and national radio shows all carried the same sentiment. To Nantz, it was never meant as a definitive line in the sand.

The CBS broadcaster always points to Augusta National for his personal goals because of his affection for it. However, media outlets have used it to make headlines about his retirement announcement. He pushed back on that narrative, saying the attention made him uneasy because it turned a long-standing, offhand comment into something far more official than he ever intended.

For Nantz, the idea of longevity remains fluid. While the 100th Masters holds special meaning, he leaves open the possibility of going well beyond it. His focus, he says, stays on the present, one season, one broadcast, one moment at a time.