Jim Nantz makes ‘CW’ reference about LIV Golf’s Brooks Koepka during Masters broadcast

Jim Nantz appeared to mix in an LIV Golf joke while broadcasting the Masters on CBS.

Or, if not a calculated comment, it at least seemed that way when Brooks Koepka — who left the PGA Tour for the Saudi-backed golf league in June 2022 — walked to find his ball on the 15th hole during the completion of the third round Sunday.

Then, Nantz, a broadcaster for CBS’ coverage of the Masters since 1986, described where Koepka’s ball landed.

“There he is, right on the CW — the crosswalk,” Nantz said.

The CW emerged as an unusual television destination for LIV Golf, compared to the network connections for other sports and leagues, when the pair reached a deal in January to broadcast tournaments.

“This is a momentous day for LIV Golf as this partnership is about more than just media rights,” LIV Golf CEO and commissioner Greg Norman said in January. “The CW will provide accessibility for our fans and maximum exposure for our athletes and partners. We’re very proud to note how consequential it is that a league that has only existed for one year has secured a full broadcast deal in its debut full league season.”

But the new television deal only led to 286,000 and 291,000 viewers during the Saturday and Sunday broadcasts, respectively, of LIV Golf’s first event of the year, according to Sports Business Journal.

Those ratings didn’t improve for the second event, either.

This weekend, though, the LIV Golf members participating in the Masters will have their last two rounds aired on CBS, including Koepka, who entered the final 18 holes Sunday with a two-shot lead.

The Masters announced in December that LIV Golf members who qualified for the tournament could participate, though it still created a different type of environment at Augusta National Golf Club — where the two dueling golf associations, and the 18 LIV Golf members, overlapped at the course for the first time.