Jim Nantz looks back on 40 years behind the microphone and recalls a hilarious Pebble Beach exchange that captures golf broadcasting’s colorful past.
Jim Nantz has called enough iconic golf moments to fill a documentary series. The legendary CBS broadcaster has been behind the microphone for Masters drama, unforgettable major championships and decades of PGA Tour history.
But ask Nantz to pick his favorite broadcast from a career spanning 40 years, and he’s not interested in living in the past.
His favorite? The next one.
That answer carries extra meaning because Nantz borrowed the philosophy from a wonderfully unpredictable moment he witnessed decades ago at Pebble Beach.
As the 2026 PGA Tour season winds toward its conclusion with the FedEx Cup Playoffs, Nantz has been reflecting on a remarkable broadcasting career that traces back to his first Masters assignment in 1986.
Golf has changed dramatically since then, and nowhere is that transformation more obvious than at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
Long before the tournament became packed with corporate heavyweights, the old Crosby Clambake was golf mixed with Hollywood entertainment. Celebrities weren't merely invited guests. They were part of the show's personality.
That's where one of Nantz's favorite stories begins.
As CBSSports.com recorded, during an early-career CBS assignment at Pebble Beach, actor Jack Lemmon sent a shot on the 18th hole toward the rocks and Pacific Ocean. Broadcaster Pat Summerall immediately delivered the perfect line: “That's Lemmon on the rocks.”
Ken Venturi played along, joking that it sounded like something he'd ordered the previous night.
But the exchange wasn't finished.
The conversation eventually reached entertainer Phil Harris, who was asked to name his favorite drink.
His response was beautifully simple: “The next one.”
Decades later, Nantz hasn't forgotten it.
There's something fitting about the story resurfacing during his 40th season connected to CBS' Masters coverage.
Nantz has witnessed Tiger Woods' greatest moments, historic Masters Sundays, stunning collapses, unlikely champions and generations of golf stars come and go.
Yet one seemingly insignificant exchange from Pebble Beach remains lodged in his memory.
It also explains Nantz's own approach to broadcasting.
Instead of selecting one Masters, one championship or one famous call as the defining moment of his career, Nantz keeps looking forward. The history matters. The memories matter.
But there's always another tournament, another Sunday and another story waiting for him.
After four decades behind the microphone, that's probably one reason Jim Nantz still sounds like he wants to be there.
