CBS Sports deflects on Tiger Woods coverage for Masters

CBS Sports would not speculate on how it plans to handle coverage of Tiger Woods during the upcoming Masters.

On a press call previewing its Masters coverage on Monday morning, CBS Sports deflected when asked by Awful Announcing: “What is the appropriate way to cover Tiger Woods next week?”

The question, initially directed at longtime Masters voice Jim Nantz, was instead taken by CBS Sports president David Berson, who acknowledged that Tiger Woods’ recent arrest is a major story, but that it would be inappropriate to comment before Woods’ camp issues a statement, and more information is available about Woods’ participation, or lack thereof, in any Masters festivities.

“It’s not fair to anyone for us to speak about it or 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,” Berson said. “Listen, Tiger is a story, obviously, wherever he is. But our job during the Tournament itself will be to cover the Tournament. 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.”

Last week, Woods was involved in his fourth reckless driving incident since 2009 after police say he attempted to overtake a truck carrying power-washing equipment at high speeds on a two-way residential road. Woods’ car rolled onto its side, and the five-time Masters champion fortunately escaped without injury, as did the truck driver. Authorities say Woods showed clear signs of impairment, though he recorded a 0.00 after being administered a breathalyzer exam. Woods was subsequently booked and charged with driving under the influence, causing property damage, and refusing to submit to a lawful urinalysis test, which would reveal other substances he could have been taking at the time.

There are still a number of unknowns regarding Woods’ presence at Augusta National Golf Club next week. Prior to his arrest, Woods was, at the very least, going to be present at the tournament to attend the Champions Dinner and debut his new short course, The Loop, which he helped design on the grounds of Augusta Municipal Golf Course.

Before his crash, Woods had not yet made an official decision about his participation in the Masters. Last week, he competed in Game 2 of the TGL Finals, his first competitive event since the 2024 Open Championship, leading to speculation that he could tee it up at Augusta National next week.

Since his arrest on Friday, some in the golf media have continued to excuse Tiger’s pattern of behavior. Others are downplaying its severity or simply staying quiet altogether. Perhaps the best indication of this phenomenon was the Masters press call itself. A question about Tiger Woods was not asked until 54 minutes into an hour-long press call, when Awful Announcing broached the subject.

Maybe it’s difficult for those living inside golf’s bubble to see, but Woods’ arrest is the biggest story in the sport right now. How CBS decides to cover him during the Masters is vitally important. Much of the casual sports audience tuning in for the Masters might only be able to name Woods and a handful of other golfers. That audience will certainly know about Woods’ arrest and expect to hear about it on the broadcast. Treating this story as an afterthought or shying away from its implications is a disservice to the sport of golf.

This is not to say CBS won’t address the issue head-on; as Berson said, it’s simply too early to know exactly what the network’s coverage will look like. Woods still needs to decide whether he’ll attend the tournament now, let alone participate in it. That decision and how the legal process unfolds over the next nine days will certainly shape how CBS approaches its coverage.