CBS Sports accused of ‘jinxing’ Rory McIlroy as Masters coverage torn apart

Chris “Mad Dog” Russo blasted CBS Sports’ coverage of The Masters, alleging that the pundits on the call repeatedly “jinxed” Rory McIlroy.

Host Jim Nantz and lead analyst Trevor Immelman provided their insight from the broadcast booth as McIlroy narrowly bested Justin Rose in a sudden death playoff at Hole 18 of Augusta National. Upon emerging victorious in his 11th attempt at completing the career Grand Slam, the Northern Irishman joined Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, and Tiger Woods as the only players to ever accomplish the feat in the Masters era.

Despite entering Sunday with a two-stroke lead following a stellar third round in which he shot 6-under 66, McIlroy’s final round was hardly smooth sailing. The 35-year-old recorded two double bogeys on the first and 13th holes, as well as bogeys on Nos. 11, 14, and 18 – where he missed his final putt to force a playoff.

According to Russo, the series of miscues can be attributed to Nantz and Immelman, who routinely suggested in the early stages of the final round that the green jacket was McIlroy’s to lose. The pair of commentators notably stayed quiet moments after he won the playoff, however, allowing his emotional celebration to speak for itself.

“They went on and on and on, much too premature,” Russo said. “They spent so much time in the last two hours jinxing him! They thought it was over on 13. They thought it was over on 15 when he hit that great 7-iron, he hooked it into the green, the par-5. They thought it was over on 16 when he hit the nice iron shot to get to the par-3, hit a nice shot. They thought it was over on 17 when he birdied the hole. And then they thought it was over on the tee shot I just showed ya on 18!

“You can’t do that with McIlroy! He’s not Jack [Nicklaus], he’s not Tiger [Woods]! When you gave them a three-shot lead, they were never blowing a tournament. Rory’s up and down, that’s why it’s so much fun. When you think it’s over, it isn’t. When he’s great, then he’s bad. When he’s bad, like the playoff hole, he’s great!”

Rather than portray McIlroy as the favorite, Russo argued that CBS should’ve simply taken a neutral stance. “Let it play out from an audience perspective,” he added. “I had so many fans rooting for Rory say, ‘Jeez, they’re jinxing it! Shut up!’ And you know what? They’re right!”

Taking to social media, droves of golf fans disagreed with Russo, insisting that CBS did a great job with its coverage of The Masters. “CBS had an incredible broadcast. They’re discussing what everyone is thinking. The way they broadcast the 5 minutes after he won it was worthy of an Emmy,” one X user wrote.

Others rushed to his defense, agreeing that the broadcasters may have gotten ahead of themselves on more than one occasion. “He’s not wrong. After rewatching Nantz had a few ‘uhhh I don’t think we should have said that’ moments,” another person added.

• Source: NEWHD MEDIA