For millions of television viewers, Jim Nantz’s call of Rory McIlroy finally winning the Masters provided an iconic soundtrack to an incredibly memorable moment in golf history.
‘The long journey is over. McIlroy has his masterpiece,’ Nantz said as the now five-time major champion dropped to his knees in tears.
With the victory, McIlroy became only the sixth golfer to complete the career Grand Slam by winning each of the four major tournaments at least once.
Meanwhile, another familiar voice to golf fans was chronicling the action on radio.
‘Rory … back and through. And he’s made it! He’s done it!!’ exclaimed NBC Sports’ Mike Tirico, who was handling the play-by-play duties on SiriusXM Radio.
‘It’s a Grand Slam roar at Augusta National! Rory McIlroy, on his knees, bent down in emotion, clutching his head. He’s won the Masters. He’s won all the Grand Slam events. He’s the sixth in the history of the game to enter golf’s … greatest … group.’
While Nantz allowed the CBS television pictures to tell the story, Tirico gave his radio audience a vivid description of how McIlroy was overcome by emotion in the moments after sinking the winning putt.
As McIlroy shook hands with runner-up Justin Rose, Tirico also made sure to remind listeners that Rose had lost in a playoff at Augusta National once before.
From 2008 to 2016, Tirico was part of ESPN’s Masters TV coverage of the tournament’s first two rounds. He has been a staple of NBC’s golf coverage since moving to the network in 2016.