The Masters gives heartfelt 'thank you' to Verne Lundquist amid final broadcast
Longtime sports broadcaster Verne Lundquist’s 40th Masters Tournament will be his last.
On the call for some of the greatest moments in Masters history, the tournament has now rewarded him with a video thanking him for his services.
Watch the touching moment below:
“The Masters means just about everything professionally,” Lundquist said in the video. “40 years. From from 1983 on. 25 years of sitting up in that tower on 16, watching the world go by. My wife Nancy and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary here … so many memorable occasions here. Most notably, this guy named Tiger [Woods] in 2005.
“You have to be reactive. You can’t anticipate, you’ve got to react as a fan would be. That was the genesis of what was said during Tiger’s chip shot. I think people at home said they’ve never seen anything like that in their life. Well, I’ve never seen it.”
Woods has said that he’s listened back on Lundquist’s infamous call “a couple of times,” but also noted that he has a poetic way of telling stories. “He draws people in.”
Lundquist’s career spans across different six decades. After bouncing from networks such as ABC, CBS and TNT from 1974 to 1997, Lundquist returned to CBS in 1998 and remained there for the rest of his career.
He is most known for anchoring CBS Sports’ coverage of college football play-by-play for the SEC on CBS from 2000-16. Lundquist was on the call for many classic SEC and Big Ten games throughout his career, including many classic Iron Bowl games over the years.
Lundquist’s final football game was the 2016 Army-Navy game and eventually retired from college basketball broadcasting before the 2018 NCAA Tournament. However, CBS did bring him back for the 2023 NCAA Tournament to narrate the annual March Madness farewell video which was warmly welcome from fans that grew up with his voice as their college sports soundtrack.
He continued being the voice of The Masters until now when he will bid farewell on the headset at the event’s conclusion.
“This is such a special place, and I have so many great moments here,” Lundquist continued, taking in the course at Augusta National. “I love everything about this event. It’s my favorite golf course, ever.”
Catch Lundquist on the call one more time on Sunday as The Masters reaches its conclusion. The action can be viewed on ESPN and CBS.