NBC analyst Kevin Kisner criticised CBS for delays and missed shots, saying the Masters coverage left viewers confused throughout/ Image: Foxnews
The final round of the Masters drew one of its largest audiences in more than a decade, with an average of 14 million viewers watching Rory McIlroy secure his second consecutive green jacket.
At its peak, the broadcast reached more than 20 million.CBS, which shares the tournament’s broadcast rights with ESPN under a long-standing agreement with Augusta National, carried those final hours. During the closing stretch at the 18th, the coverage struggled to keep up with the moment, missing clear visuals of both McIlroy and Cameron Young’s approach shots and, at points, showing footage that lagged behind the live action, leaving viewers without a clear sense of where shots had landed as the tournament was being decided, prompting a wave of criticism from viewers and analysts.
Missed shots and confusion at the closing hole
The most pointed frustration centred on the closing stretch at Augusta National. On the 18th hole, with McIlroy’s pursuit of back-to-back titles reaching its final moments, cameras were unable to clearly show where his approach shot had landed from the pine straw. The same problem followed for his playing partner, Cameron Young, whose approach into the green was also not immediately located. For a period that stretched beyond a minute, viewers were left without a clear sense of where the tournament leader’s ball had finished or what kind of shot remained.
The tension did not ease once the players reached the green. The eventual winning putt was filmed from behind, leaving the ball partially obscured as it dropped, a choice that drew immediate reaction from viewers who had followed the build-up over four days.
At the 18th, McIlroy’s approach was missed and his winning putt was filmed from behind by CBS, obscuring the moment.
Kisner questions delays and taped coverage
Kevin Kisner, working on the SiriusXM radio broadcast and also an analyst for NBC, was among the most direct in his criticism of CBS’s coverage. Speaking on the Fore Play podcast on April 14, he described struggling to follow the action as it unfolded. “I was so (expletive) confused the entire time by trying to keep up with the behind-the-scenes CBS feed,” Kisner said. “They’re literally showing (expletive) that I knew happened 10 minutes ago all day long.” He said the issue went beyond isolated moments, pointing to a broader pattern of delays. “There were a couple of shots in the two days that were seven to 10 minutes behind. It was unbelievable, dude.” At one point during the broadcast, Kisner said he reached out directly to CBS commentator Colt Knost to ask what was happening, adding that he found it easier to follow the tournament through the official Masters app than the television feed.
Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, celebrates after winning the Masters golf tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club, Sunday, April 12, 2026, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
The presentation of taped footage as live particularly stood out to him. “Could you imagine watching the (expletive) Super Bowl,” he said, “and being like, ‘Yeah, Tom Brady threw that touchdown seven minutes ago, we’re going to act like it’s live here so our announcers can sound really smart?’” He returned to the same point repeatedly, questioning how the broadcast was being put together. “I have no idea what they’re doing. Literally no idea. They’re showing every shot on tape.
It’s incredible. I don’t know how the announcers call it.” Kisner also framed the criticism against what he sees as standard practice in live golf coverage. “What are we doing, man? You have no commercials. Play live shots.
“Our production team at NBC prides themselves on playing every shot that they possibly can live. “When we can’t, we have to say, ‘A moment ago…’, because we’re trying to make the movie make sense, right? “We don’t want to show you a tap in at 16 and go, ‘Oh yeah, he’s already hitting a shot on 17’, because obviously he has to walk over there.”
A rare public criticism within golf broadcasting
Direct criticism of one network by another is unusual in golf, where broadcasters tend to avoid commenting publicly on rival coverage. That context made Kisner’s comments stand out further, particularly given his dual role as an active PGA Tour player and a television analyst.
The reaction was not limited to analysts. Viewers had already raised similar concerns during the broadcast, particularly around the final hole, where uncertainty over shot locations and delayed visuals disrupted what is typically the most closely followed stretch of the tournament.
CBS response focuses on live broadcast demands
Jim Nantz, CBS’s lead commentator, addressed the criticism during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show on April 14. “It’s live television. We all make mistakes,” Nantz said. “But I’m really proud of our crew. You’re making … so many decisions, split-second decisions. … I can’t speak to the difficulty and some of the decision-making and some of the things that people are responsible for. I just know that our crew is the best in the business.” He also pointed to the scale of the production and the recognition it has received. “The things that were shown, produced, by our crew… hundreds of people involved over the course of four days, some 30 hours of television.
“Our crew is nominated at the Emmys next month for best technical team effort. Last year’s Masters, the same crew was nominated for best show in television.” And in referring to the final moment on the 18th, he added: “If he [McIlroy] would have missed [the final putt], we would have had the all-time story in the history of golf.”
