Forty years ago, a young Jim Nantz received an unexpected opportunity: to contribute to CBS’s coverage of the 1986 Masters Tournament. Just 26 years old at the time, Nantz was assigned to the 16th tower, a role he initially questioned. “I guess I can say it now that I’m 66—what in the world was CBS thinking putting me in the 16th tower?” Nantz remarked on a recent CBS Sports conference call.

A Lasting Legacy

Since that initial assignment, Nantz has been a fixture at Augusta National, becoming the lead host in 1989. Over the past four decades, he has witnessed countless iconic moments at the Masters. However, the 1986 tournament remains his most cherished memory.

“I just don’t want time to dilute how big that day was,” Nantz stated. “That’s why I don’t give it up when people ask, ‘What’s the greatest Masters of all-time?’… If I really got pushed into a corner, I would say 1986.”

The 1986 Masters: Nicklaus's Comeback

Nantz specifically highlighted Jack Nicklaus’s remarkable performance in 1986. Nicklaus, considered by some to be past his prime, mounted a stunning comeback. “And that fact that arguably the greatest of all-time —‘washed up’ people said. Given up for almost a ceremonial golfer. Hadn’t won a major in six years… Just not really even a part of the thought process going into Sunday that he could find a way to present, I think, one of the great encore performances in any sport.”

Early Career Beginnings

Prior to the Masters, Nantz had been working with CBS Sports as a studio host for college sports and an on-course reporter for PGA Tour coverage. He was in Augusta a month before the tournament shooting promotional material. Frank Chirkinian, a CBS executive producer, saw potential in Nantz and offered him the opportunity to be on camera.

“He wanted to put me on camera…because I was the newcomer and I was going to be a new voice at Augusta,” Nantz explained. Chirkinian then informed Nantz he would be stationed at the 16th hole.

A Moment of Awe and a Famous Call

Nantz recalled feeling a sense of imposter syndrome but was determined to make the most of the opportunity. He spent a month preparing, obsessing over the history of the 16th hole. On Sunday, Nicklaus began his charge, and Nantz found himself describing a historic comeback.

During Nicklaus’s play, Nantz posed a question to CBS analyst Tom Weiskopf, leading to a memorable exchange. When Nicklaus hit a shot that nearly went in for an ace, Nantz exclaimed, “The Bear has come out of hibernation!”

“Tried to sound mature beyond my years and wondering where in the world did that thought come into my head?” Nantz said. He later learned the line was original, not a borrowed phrase.

Reflections and Future Masters

Following Nicklaus’s victory, CBS executive Frank Chirkinian assured Nantz he would return the following year. Ken Venturi, CBS’s lead golf analyst, predicted Nantz would never witness a round like that again. Nantz later compared the elation of Tiger Woods’s 2019 victory to the energy surrounding Nicklaus’s 1986 win.

Venturi once suggested Nantz aim to call 51 Masters, culminating at the tournament’s 100th edition. Nantz expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to live out his childhood dream. “That was one of the greatest days of my life,” he said, “to be able to live a childhood dream to one day grow up and be able to be part of Frank Chirkinian’s broadcast team and specifically be there for the Masters.”