This April marks 40 years since one of the most breathtaking moments in the history of the game. In a first-person reflection published this week, legendary CBS broadcaster Jim Nantz revisits the surreal Sunday afternoon of April 13, 1986, when Jack Nicklaus mounted one of sport’s most improbable comebacks to claim a record sixth Masters title at the age of 46.
Nantz, a first-year announcer stationed in the tower behind the par-3 16th, watched as the Golden Bear rallied from six strokes back golfdigest through a field packed with legends. When Jack’s 6-iron approach settled three feet from the cup and he drained the birdie putt to a thunderous roar, Nantz found the call that has echoed through golf history ever since: “There is no doubt about it, the Bear has come out of hibernation.”
As Nantz’s colleague Ken Venturi told him after the broadcast: “You may be lucky enough to one day broadcast 50 Masters tournaments, but you will never see a day greater than this around Augusta National.” golfdigest Forty years on, it’s hard to argue with him.
Read Jim Nantz’s full reflection over at Golf Digest.
