Jim Nantz on his LIV Golf 'dig' during The Masters? "To me, it was a nothing!"

Jim Nantz has hit back at claims he was taking a cheap shot at LIV Golf during the final round coverage of the 87th Masters.

Jim Nantz on his LIV Golf 'dig' during The Masters? "To me, it was a nothing!"
Jim Nantz on his LIV Golf 'dig' during The Masters? "To me, it was a…

Legendary caller Jim Nantz says his hilarious chirp during the 87th Masters was not meant to be a shot at LIV Golf and he was 'amazed' it got so much traction on social media. 

Nantz displayed quick wit when Brooks Koepka was completing his third round on Sunday morning at Augusta National. 

He was making his way towards the crosswalk at No. 15 which Nantz explained is 'a rarity'. 

"There he is on the CW," Nantz said. "The crosswalk". 

It was a cheeky comment aimed at Koepka and by extension the LIV Golf League, who struck their first U.S. TV deal at the beginning of the year with the CW Network. 

That deal was derided by some as the network airs shows such as The Vampire Diaries and Jane The Virgin. 

Still, Nantz was resolute in his defence that it was absolutely not meant to be a dig at LIV when he spoke on SI's podcast, which you can watch here

Nantz believed that during the 87th Masters coverage CBS showed a tremendous amount of respect for every player in the field regardless of what tour they play. 

LIV Golf's Phil Mickelson - at the age of 52 - surged into contention during the final round with an extraordinary performance. 

His T-2 finish meant he overtook Tiger Woods in career earnings at the major, whilst he became the oldest player to finish inside the top-five. 

Nantz told the podcast:

"I am honestly shocked there was any kind of reaction to it. First off, we were on [air] for 29 hours. So, for The Masters to be summed up in a throwaway line for me on a Sunday morning -- I find it all pretty amazing what people latch on to.
"But it was definitely not a shot [at LIV], it was just I could see for the first time that his second shot at 15 ended up on the crosswalk and that's a rarity that you see a player on the crosswalk. It's just the way my brain works sometimes.
"Maybe I was being a little cheeky. It was not a shot at all. Maybe I was trying to be a little whimsical.
"The bottom line is, we showed every golfer in that field a tremendous amount of respect no matter what tour they're playing and, it certainly wasn't an attempt to create any sharper edge or division between the game. To me, it was a nothing." 

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