14 April 2023 , 17:30
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CBS commentator Jim Nantz has explained the reasoning behind the lack of coverage of Phil Mickelson at the Masters, after LIV Golf fans were left disappointed.
Mickelson made a long-awaited return to the PGA Tour, after the 52-year-old headed back to Augusta National as a three-time past champion. The American's once-glittering legacy has been tarnished over the past year amid a whole host of controversial comments surrounding LIV Golf and its involvement with the Saudi Arabian government.
Mickelson still has his fans though, and many were excited to catch a glimpse of the six-time major champion's Masters comeback as he flew the flag for the returning LIV Golf defectors.
And fly the flag he did, as the 52-year-old rolled back the years in Sunday's final round, shooting an impressive seven-under-par 65 to finish in a tie for second alongside fellow LIV man Brooks Koepka. Despite Mickelson's impressive week, his on-screen action was few and far between.
CBS Sports - the Masters broadcaster for the United States - faced plenty of criticism following Mickelson's lack of air-time but commentator Jim Nantz has now defended the coverage. Discussing the topic on the SI Media With Jimmy Traina podcast, Nantz said: "I think if you went back and look at the full coverage on Sunday, including Sunday morning, the finishing up of the third round, our guys were really on Phil.
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"Part of it is the optics; when you look at a leaderboard at the end, and you see that Phil’s tied for second. You think, well, my gosh, they must have been on him all day. But with two holes to play, he was like tied for fifth with eight other guys at six under par. There was action happening everywhere.
"And at the end, the leaderboard looks like, well, he should have gotten that much coverage because he finished second. But you don’t know how it’s all going to play out, wash out in the end. There was no effort at all by anybody at CBS to treat anyone any differently.”
Phil Mickelson enjoyed an impressive finish in Sunday's final round (Getty Images)Nantz also discussed what appeared to be a viral jibe at LIV Golf, after he was heard labelling a crosswalk Koepka was heading towards a 'CW' - the name of the broadcaster that holds TV rights to the Saudi-backed circuit - during the weekend coverage. Claiming his comment was not a dig at LIV, he commented: "It definitely was not a shot.
It just was something that I could see for the first time that his second shot at 15 had ended up on the crosswalk. And that’s a rarity, you see a player on the crosswalk. It’s just the way my brain works, sometimes. I said that, ‘There he is on the CW, the crosswalk.’ I was just, maybe being a little cheeky. I certainly didn’t mean it to be a shot. It was not a shot at all. Maybe it was just trying to be a little whimsical.”