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CBS moves Frank Nobilo to the 16th. Plus, all range shots will be tracked, upgraded HDR video is promised, and other notes on the presentation.
There aren’t too many surprises or changes to the 2025 Masters approach. Because why mess with the best?
But we do have some upgrades in technology and an interesting First World development on the CBS announcing front. Here’s what caught my eye with regard to updates or changes or “stuff” to work into next week’s viewing schedule:
Frank Nobilo will move to the 16th tower vacated by Verne Lundquist’s retirement. Nobilo will continue to cover the 11th where he’s become a staple of the “Corner.”
Jim Nantz and Trevor Immelman pick up the 12th hole (in addition to the 13th they’ve covered in recent years.
Nantz will be working his 40th Masters, joining Lundquist as the only two announcers to have worked that many Masters.
Previously announced: CBS expands weekend coverage with a pair of Paramount+ exclusive two-hour windows followed by five hours of network coverage Saturday and Sunday (streaming via the Masters and Paramount+ apps).
The Par 3 Contest will air from 2:00 – 4:00 PM ET on ESPN but coverage will begin at 12:00 PM ET on ESPN+ and Disney+.
Welcome to the Masters will air Wednesday on ESPN from 1:00 – 2:00 PM ET and on Thursday and Friday from 1:00 – 3:00 PM ET as a lead-in to ESPN’s live coverage where Scott Van Pelt helms with Curtis Strange as the Butler Cabin analyst.
ESPN will carry live coverage of Tournament play on Thursday, April 10 and Friday, April 11 will again air from 3:00—7:30 PM ET.
Masters digital platforms bring back all of the same teams in 2025, led by Grant Boone and Mark Immelman making Amen Corner even better. They’re accompanied by the 15/16 team of Iona Stephen/Ned Michaels/Smylie Kaufman, and Featured Group announce teams led by Shane Bacon, Colt Knost, Billy Kratzert, Brian Cowell and Kaufman.
A wild new feature takes technology to a level that boggles the golf geek mind: the Masters “Track” feature will include the driving range warm-ups pf every player. Beginning on Monday, April 7, anyone without a job or life will have access to live and recorded data on every shot. Details will include distance, carry, speed, hang time, height, curve and wind. Each shot will feature 3D tracing and a full “scatterplot” of the range sessions. That should make for some interesting prognosticating! Let the blowhardery begin!
The new range element will also be part of the excellent Masters On The Range show which commences at noon ET on Monday and is again hosted by the firm of Tilghman, Breed, Crowell, Balionis, and Stephen.
“HDR Live Video” will be available for all Masters live streams on Masters.com and the apps. I’ve always thought the video was already pretty spectacular, so could this upgrade be one step closer to true 4K?
The Honorary Starters and Green Jacket Presentation will again be streamed live on Masters.com, the Masters App, and select Masters social platforms (Facebook, Xand YouTube).
SiriusXM will broadcast live from 2:00—8:00 PM ET on Thursday and Friday, and 2:00 – 7:00 PM ET on the weekend. The coverage can be streamed on the Masters app.
Previously announced, and more TGL than Masters: Wyndham Clark and Max Homa will serve as part-time analysts for ESPN’s Par 3 Contest coverage.
NBC and Golf Channel have not made plans public for coverage of the ANWA, Drive, Chip and Putt or Live From the Masters other than to announce they begin Monday at 2 p.m. ET. The network will again include 55 hours of live studio coverage from Augusta National led by Rich Lerner, Brandel Chamblee and Paul McGinley. Also unclear is Mike Tirico’s role in golf going forward. With NBC taking on the NBA next year he has already been pulled from US Open coverage this year. Tirico has been the lead voice on every Augusta National Women’s Amateur.
CBS will lead into weekend coverage for American viewers with: We Need to Talk at the Masters, Growing the Game: the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship, An Invitation to the Masters: Latin America Amateur Championship, A Champion’s Dream – Jordan Spieth at the 2015 Masters, and Jim Nantz Remembers Augusta – The Legend of Bernhard Langer.
Nantz has interviewed Langer several times in advance of the show and said CBS will document Langer’s final walk up 18, whether it be Friday or Sunday. Nantz also intimated that a similar goodbye for his longtime friend Fred Couples might be tough.
“I'm looking forward to doing justice to the moment for Bernhard Langer, and whenever that time comes for Freddie,” Nantz said before a long pause. “I'm going to have a hard time with that one. Trevor, [Immelman] hopefully you can carry me through that moment. I hope it's a few years down the road. That will be bittersweet.”
The Nobilo shift to 16 sets up an unusual announcing situation for CBS. He previously has been in a small tower behind the 12th tee with a great view of the 11th green and all of Amen Corner. Traditionally, this has been one of the most important on-course announcing locales in golf due to Amen Corner’s otherworldly wind shifts and warm atmosphere. By moving to the 16th, Nobilo will presumably announce from a “Super Tower” location (since you can’t make a loud call for the 11th just steps from the 16th green).