'Not Sure If You Had A Chance To See It' - Did Jim Nantz Aim A Dig At LIV Golf?
Nantz appeared to take a swipe at the breakaway circuit during the first round of the 2023 PGA Championship
Jim Nantz appeared to aim a dig at LIV Golf as Dustin Johnson began his first round at the 2023 PGA Championship.
After a slow start to the season, Johnson picked up his first win on the breakaway circuit at last week's event in Tulsa, but some viewers in the US were left dismayed when the CW network pulled the live coverage off air before the thrilling climax.
Johnson went on to prevail at the first hole of a playoff against Cameron Smith and Branden Grace, but instead of that exciting finale, some regions in America were served an old episode of Family Feud or Penn & Teller.
In LIV's defence, the action was delayed by two hours following some inclement weather and was still available on the CW app, but Nantz, a veteran CBS broadcaster, couldn't resist the chance to take a subtle swipe at the perceived gaffe.
"Not sure if you had a chance to see it, but he was a winner last week in Tulsa in a playoff," Nantz said, as Johnson was announced onto the first tee at Oak Hill.
Jim Nantz D 👏🏻 G 👏🏻 A 👏🏻 F 👏🏻 pic.twitter.com/HVG6MOAwsVMay 18, 2023
It's the second Major in a row where Nantz has been caught making a head-scratching reference to the Saudi-funded league. At The Masters, Brooks Koepka was approaching his third shot on the par-5 15th during the third round when Natz said: "There he is right on the C.W., the crosswalk."
Whether that was meant as a sleight after LIV signed a deal with the CW network back in February is anyone's guess, but it's hard to recall a time previously when Nantz would have used such terminology to describe a crosswalk.
Get the Golf Monthly Newsletter
Subscribe to the Golf Monthly newsletter to stay up to date with all the latest tour news, equipment news, reviews, head-to-heads and buyer’s guides from our team of experienced experts.
Here’s the clip of Nantz’s “CW” comment. Was this a subtle dig at LIV? pic.twitter.com/IoFOOSeb9gApril 9, 2023
The 64-year-old has been critical of LIV Golf in the past, saying he felt "betrayal" when it launched in June last year at the Centurion Club just outside of London. Since then, there have been calls for the warring tribes to commence peace talks, while relations between players have remained largely unaffected, but that doesn't appear to have changed Nantz's position on the saga.
A lifelong golf fan, Andy graduated in 2019 with a degree in Sports Journalism and got his first role in the industry as the Instruction Editor for National Club Golfer. From there, he went on to enjoy a spell freelancing for Stats Perform producing football reports, and then for RacingNews365 covering Formula 1. However, he couldn't turn down the opportunity to get back into the sport he grew up watching and playing and now covers a mixture of equipment, instruction and news for Golf Monthly's website and print title.
Andy took up the game at the age of seven and even harboured ambitions of a career in the professional ranks for a spell. That didn’t pan out, but he still enjoys his weekend golf at Royal Troon and holds a scratch handicap. As a side note, he's made five holes-in-one and could quite possibly be Retief Goosen’s biggest fan.
As well as the above, some of Andy's work has featured on websites such as goal.com, dailyrecord.co.uk, and theopen.com.
What's in Andy's bag?
Driver: Callaway Mavrik Sub-Zero (9°)
3-wood: TaylorMade Stealth 2 Plus (15°)
Driving iron: Titleist U500 (17°)
Irons: Callaway Apex Pro '19 (4-PW)
Wedges: Titleist Vokey SM9 (50°, 54° and 58°)
Putter: TaylorMade Spider X
Ball: TaylorMade TP5x
-
Big Max Traveler Travel Cover Review
How did this lower-priced travel cover hold up as we took it across to the beautiful island of Madeira?
By Dan Parker Published
-
Fascinating Data Reveals How To Get From A 5-Handicap To Scratch... And It Could Also Hold The Key To Improvement For All Amateur Golfers!
The latest Arccos data suggests how to get from a 5-handicap to scratch, but could the answer also point to progress for all golfers?
By Barry Plummer Published
-
Paulina Gretzky Reveals Death Threats And Other 'Awful, Awful, Awful Things' After Dustin Johnson's LIV Golf Move
The daughter of NHL legend Wayne Gretzky shared some personal stories from around the time of her husband's switch from the PGA Tour to LIV Golf on Full Swing Season 2
By Jonny Leighfield Last updated
-
The Masters Field 2024... And How They Qualified
Jon Rahm defends his title in a field packed with some of the best players from the past and present
By Mike Hall Published
-
Fortinet Australian PGA Championship Prize Money Payout 2023
Cameron Smith defends his title as the new DP World Tour season begins
By Mike Hall Published
-
How To Watch LIV Golf Chicago: Live Stream The Action
Follow a LIV Golf Chicago Live Stream to see all the action. Sebastián Muñoz goes into the final round three shots clear
By Roderick Easdale Last updated
-
How To Watch LIV Golf Bedminster: Live Stream The Action
Cameron Smith takes a one-shot lead into the final round. Follow a LIV Golf Bedminster Live Stream to see all the action
By Roderick Easdale Last updated
-
LIV Golf Greenbrier Live Stream: How To Watch All The Action
Matthew Wolff and David Puig are joint leaders going into the final day. Follow a LIV Golf Greenbrier Live Stream to see all the action
By Roderick Easdale Last updated
-
Which Americans Are Set To Miss Out On The Ryder Cup?
The Open was one of the last chances for a number of big names to make an impression on Zach Johnson and several are already on their way home
By Mark Townsend Published
-
'No Poaching' Players Clause Removed From PGA Tour-PIF Deal
A clause in the PGA Tour-PIF deal that prohibited poaching players from either the tour or LIV Golf has been removed after concerns it could break federal employment law
By Paul Higham Published