Jim Nantz hits back at critics of Bryson DeChambeau comments: ‘Bots’

Masters week is here, and CBS’ Jim Nantz and two-time major champion Bryson DeChambeau will command a lot of attention in the coming days. Nantz will be the lead TV analyst on Saturday and Sunday. DeChambeau is one of the betting favorites to win his first green jacket.

Heading into tournament week, though, the two men are entwined in a bit of controversy stemming from recent comments Nantz made about DeChambeau in the lead-up to the Masters.

On Monday, Nantz joined the “Pat McAfee Show” to defend himself, saying he “stood by his comments” while blaming criticism his comments have received on “bots” and LIV Golf’s social media team. But he also attempted to quell any further controversy by professing his “great friendship” and “long relationship” with DeChambeau.

Here’s what you need to know.

Nantz calls DeChambeau friend: ‘My son was almost named after him’

The Nantz-DeChambeau controversy began last week, when Nantz took part in a conference call previewing CBS’ 2026 Masters coverage.

In response to a question about DeChambeau’s form heading into the Masters, Nantz first said he considered Bryson among the favorites to win the Masters. But then he confessed that he had “not seen Bryson hit a single shot this year. I have not seen him.”

The comments spread far and wide, with some observers taking them as a dig at DeChambeau, and others seeing an implied criticism of LIV Golf.

In his appearance on the “Pat McAfee Show” on Monday, the first day of Masters week, Nantz tried to clarify his comments about DeChambeau, saying they were “extracted from a quote” in which he picked Bryson as one of the Masters favorites.

“I really like Bryson’s chances. I was on a press conference call last week and a lot of people took exception to a statement I made about how Bryson, I haven’t watched a shot so far this year. Of course he’s been winning on the LIV tour, he’s won a couple of starts, and I just want to say that was extracted from a quote where I had him as the favorite behind Scottie [Scheffler], number one,” Nantz said on the Pat McAfee Show.

Nantz then tried to defend himself by describing the “long relationship” he’s had with DeChambeau. Surprisingly, he even claimed he nearly named his son after Bryson.

“I happened to mention I’ve had a long relationship with Bryson, he’s been to my home, my son was almost named after him, I mean, there’s a great friendship and respect there,” Nantz said. “I think he’s going to win Augusta, maybe this year.”

He then provided a similar excuse for not having watched DeChambeau in 2026 to the one he gave in last week’s media call, saying he’s “got my own stuff going on” including his own CBS PGA Tour broadcasts. (Both of DeChambeau’s LIV wins this year came after CBS’ most recent golf broadcast).

He went on to defend his actions by claiming he also doesn’t need to watch DP World Tour events to prepare for those players’ appearances at the Masters.

“I was just trying to make a point. I’ve got my own stuff going on. We’re broadcasting. The point is, I read everything. I don’t have to sit down and watch the DP World Tour to be prepared for those players, or the LIV Golf,” Nantz argued. “But I give them their due, and I expect that Jon Rahm’s coming in playing well, too. I expect both Jon and Bryson will be right there, both great guys, and I would love to have them on the leaderboard.”

When McAfee asked Nantz if he was claiming his comments were taken out of context, Nantz said that he “stood by his comments” and blamed “all these bots” and LIV’s “strong force of a social media team” for the criticism his Bryson comments have received. He also reiterated that they were not meant as an attack on DeChambeau, and that he considers Bryson “a friend.”

“You’ve got all these bots, and LIV has a pretty strong force of a social media team, from what I hear because I’m not on social media, but if you say anything that can be loosely interpreted as negative, they come after you. And that’s fine. I stood by my comments,” Nantz said. “I wasn’t trying to take a shot at Bryson. Like I said, I have a great regard for him, I consider him a friend, and I consider him a favorite this week.”

DeChambeau begins 2026 Masters week as the second-favorite in the Masters odds, with the opening round kicking off Thursday. Nantz’s CBS broadcast duties begin Saturday at 2 p.m. ET.