How CBS plans to handle Tiger Woods’ latest travails during its Masters coverage

For golf viewers interested in what CBS broadcasters might have to say about Tiger Woods during coverage of the upcoming Masters Tournament, the network position is one of respectful silence and adherence to a tradition over the past 70 years of offering the best production possible of the year’s first men’s major championship.

This assumes, of course, that Woods will not be playing in the 90th Masters after his automobile accident and DUI arrest on Friday near his home in Jupiter Island, Fla.

The question about Woods’ latest travails was bound to come up Monday during a CBS zoom conference call that included broadcasters Jim Nantz, Trevor Immelman and Dottie Pepper and producer Sellers Shy. CBS is preparing to broadcast the Masters for the 71st consecutive year, the longest-running sporting event airing on one network.

“It's obviously a big topic,” David Berson, president and CEO of CBS Sports, replied when a reporter raised the question of how CBS might handle the subject of Woods. “I first want to just say that thankfully nobody's injured. That's the most important thing coming out of the news from this past week, and I definitely want to lead there.

“As for Tiger playing or not playing or being in Augusta, not being in Augusta, we don't have information and it's not fair to anyone for us to speak about it or to speculate. We just won't do that. He and his team are going to have to be the ones who speak about it. It's only fair if that's the case. So we hope you'll respect and appreciate that, but we just really don't want to speculate on something.”

That’s not to say that CBS will shy away from any news involving the five-time Masters champion, but if Woods is not in the field next week as a competitor, then he is not part of the story involving who will be the next winner of the green jacket. Woods has not competed in a PGA Tour event since July 2024 and only returned to limited competition last week in the finals of TGL, the simulator league that he co-founded with reigning Masters champion Rory McIlroy.

“Listen, Tiger's a story, obviously, wherever he is, but our job during the tournament itself will be to cover the tournament,” Berson said. “Tiger obviously has a tremendous legacy at Augusta National with all his Masters victories and his voice in the sport. So of course, we'll touch on things as necessary as news dictates, but for coverage of the event itself, we're going to cover the event.”

Another human interest story that might garner more coverage is Gary Woodland’s emotional victory Sunday at the Texas Children’s Houston Open that earned him a Masters berth. Woodland won for the first time since the 2019 U.S. Open and only weeks after revealing his battle with post-traumatic stress disorder following brain surgery in 2023.

Woodland’s five-stroke victory resonated with the CBS crew, particularly Immelman, the network’s lead golf analyst and 2008 Masters winner. Woodland and Immelman were neighbors for some time at Lake Nona in Orlando. Woodland also stood as best man for Colt Knost, who is making his debut on the network’s Masters coverage this year.

Shy pointed out “how special [Woodland’s] win was for Team CBS” and “how close we are to him.”

“I'm sure everybody can agree, just such an amazing weekend of golf. I was glued to the TV, rooting on my great friend,” said Immelman, who soon after the last putt dropped sent Woodland a text. “We used to play and practice together quite a lot. And it was right when he was joining the tour, learning the ropes. And immediately you could see and feel the incredible talent that he is. And the charisma … there's something special in the swagger that he has and the quiet self-confidence that he has. And obviously the last few years with what him and his family have been going through, it's been real brutal on his friends and family and everybody that loves him to see him struggling through this.

“It's just amazing to me in sports how you get these kind of comeback stories. And I don't say this at all without acknowledging that, as he said yesterday, he's still got to keep fighting and he still has hurdles ahead. But to see him have that moment and his family have that moment of reprieve where he's living out his dreams and lifting trophies and enjoying being out there with his peers was just ... It's hard to not get emotional watching it yesterday. It's hard to not get emotional now talking about it, quite honestly.”

It’s not a stretch, Immelman said, to think Woodland, 41, has a good chance to contend next week. He last played in the Masters in 2024. His best finish in 12 starts is T-14 in 2023, while he has missed the cut six times and withdrawn once.

“He's clearly coming in there with a ton of confidence, feeling great about his game,” Immelman said. “He's a major champion, and so he knows everything that that entails and how to construct and manage those weeks. And quite honestly, this is one of those stories where in a certain sense, it's bigger than the game, it's bigger than sports. I mean, I just want to see the guy and give him a hug and tell him well done and tell him how proud I am of him. So I look forward to that moment.”