If you've ever watched a PGA Championship from your couch and thought, “I could totally hang with those guys,” Jim Nantz is here to bring you back down to earth. The legendary CBS broadcaster, known for his silky voice and iconic calls, didn't mince words when asked how he'd fare on the same tees as the pros at Aronimink Golf Club.
“I truly don’t think I would break 100,” Nantz admitted, with a laugh that suggested he wasn't fishing for sympathy. “I’m not just being self-deprecating here. I don’t have any length anymore, I’d have difficulty on the carries and the greens would torture me. So I think if I could shoot under 100 I would be very happy.”
At 66, Nantz knows his game isn't what it used to be. And honestly, his honesty is refreshing. While the world watches Alex Smalley hold a two-shot lead heading into the final round, Nantz’s confession reminds us just how massive the gap is between elite pros and the rest of us. Even the best recreational golfers would get chewed up by a course like Aronimink, where Rory McIlroy himself has voiced frustration with the setup.
Nantz’s comments came as part of a lighthearted CBS segment asking staffers what they’d shoot on the Pennsylvania track. While players like Smalley, Ludvig Aberg, Jon Rahm, Nick Taylor, Aaron Rai, and Matthias Schmid battle it out in a tight leaderboard, Nantz is content to keep his day job. He knows that the final-round pairings are set for a thrilling finish, but his own scorecard would look very different.
Nantz on Losing Chiefs-Bills to NBC
Beyond the golf course, Nantz also opened up about a different kind of loss: CBS losing the rights to broadcast the Chiefs-Bills game on Thanksgiving in 2026. That marquee matchup will now air on NBC, and Nantz admitted it stung a little.
“That’s the rivalry of its time,” he told SI’s Jimmy Traina. “But, you know, you’re not gonna get it every year. So, I’m OK with it. I have faith we’re going to get a very good schedule. I kind of had a sinking feeling that one of these years somebody else was gonna get the chance to have that great matchup. It’s OK.”
Instead, Nantz and his partner Tony Romo will call Bears-Lions on Thanksgiving—a solid NFC clash, but not quite the same wattage as Josh Allen vs. Patrick Mahomes. Still, Nantz remains upbeat about CBS’s slate, hinting at a potential Denver-San Francisco game that he’d love to call.
“I know, for example, that Denver is gonna have a very, very attractive schedule. There’s a game that, again, going on the old basis of traveling with the AFC team, I know there’s a Denver game at San Francisco. I’d love to have that. I haven’t done a game in that stadium,” he added.
Whether he's calling golf or football, Nantz’s ability to keep it real—whether about his own golf game or the business of broadcasting—is why fans keep tuning in. And if you ever needed proof that even the pros’ sidelines are human, just listen to Jim Nantz admit he’d be thrilled to break 100.
