Jim Nantz Seemed to Make a LIV Golf Joke After Brooks Koepka's Ball Stopped on Crosswalk at Masters

CBS’s Jim Nantz seemingly poked fun of LIV Golf on the 2023 Masters broadcast, and naturally, the golf community exploded. 

The call came Sunday at the end of Round 3 at Augusta National, as the final threesome—LIV Golf’s Brooks Koepka, U.S. Open champion Jon Rahm and amateur Sam Bennett—hit their approach shots on the 15th hole. 

Koepka was forced to lay up on the par-5, leaving his third shot in the crosswalk that spans the 15th fairway. As the four-time major champion approached his shot, Nantz made a subtle, but genius joke about LIV Golf’s TV deal.

“There it is right on the CW ... the crosswalk,” Nantz said. 

The context: LIV Golf is broadcasted on the CW Network. 

Much has been made of the unusual partnership between the Saudi-backed breakaway golf league and the commercial TV network. We can only imagine what Nantz’s comment will add to that discourse.  

Koepka, a two-time winner of the PGA Championship and the U.S. Open, won last week’s LIV Orlando event. LIV Golf events are only 54 holes, rather than 72, and the Saturday and Sunday rounds are broadcasted on CW.

When Koepka finished 36 holes on Friday as the leader, the PGA Tour tweeted about it and fans also noticed. Koepka had been enough of Tour loyalist that commissioner Jay Monahan attended his wedding last June, but a few weeks later he was gone for LIV.