Trevor Immelman marks the biggest change for CBS Golf leading up to 2023, as he takes over the lead announcer’s chair following the departure of Nick Faldo.
GT
It’s a cold Sunday in early December, and the CBS Sports NFL booth is abuzz.
Jim Nantz and Tony Romo — CBS’ “A-Team” — prepare to call the season’s game at Cincinnati’s Paul Brown Stadium. Nantz and Romo have called plenty of big games together, but they’ll eventually learn that this afternoon’s Chiefs-Bengals game is better than even their wildest regular-season dreams: the halftime sequel to the 22nd AFC Championship, and half of the AFC Championship Game. prefix. As the two men prepare to air, there is a quiet urgency. It’s a massive moment for CBS in a game that promises to be a ratings monster.
Soon after, the producer counts the two men in the booth. It’s time to go. Romo and Nantz exchange a few last words and return to the camera.
A few feet away, a familiar face puts a headset to his ears. it’s a Trevor Immelman.
Immelman, who was promoted just months earlier by CBS’s golf team, is technically not supposed until you are here. The kiosk is a cramped and crowded space. The last thing a stage manager needs is another body on his way. But after a few months of harassing Nantz, the former Masters champion and current golf announcer got an invite.
James Colgan
His role this week is simple: to fly on the wall. To take in as much of what’s going on as possible and make it familiar, so that when the same experience comes his way, it feels like second nature.
This last part is of great importance to Immelmann, largely because of the same experience he Coming his way in just a few months. From the corner of the broadcast booth, he watched intently as the opening kickoff kicked off.
Obviously, the best way to prepare for life next to Jim Nantz is to just stand up little bit stay away from him
Immelman is the big change of 2023 at Golf TV, and his tenure will begin at the Farmers Insurance Open this week which will run from Wednesday through Saturday for the second year in a row. On today’s Hot Mic, we kicked off the 2023 CBS Golf season by sharing some of the other changes, including Immelman’s, that you can expect from The Eye in the new year.
6 interesting changes coming to CBS Golf in 2023
1. Trevor Immelman enters the driving seat
“This is Trevor’s model,” Nantz told me, telling the story of Immelman’s visit to the Bengals-Chiefs. “Every fall he wanted to come over and hang out with the NFL team. So in Cincinnati he was with us in the booth, standing next to us and wearing a headset. Just watching and hearing how Tony and I communicate on air. That’s just typical Trevor. He’s an exceptionally well-groomed guy.” And exceptionally thoughtful. He never misses a thing, and I’m willing to deal with him.”
And roll with it, Nantes will. After years working as an analyst in a variety of roles across golf television, Immelman will ascend to the chief analyst chair at CBS Golf, becoming—as CBS Sports president Sean McManus admits—only the fifth man to earn that distinction since the 1950s. The 2008 Masters champion will replace Nick Faldo, who retired from the grid at the conclusion of the 2022 season.
Golf is a proud tradition at CBS. unusual rotation. It’s the kind of place people retire from. These jobs open every so often as Haley’s Comet does the rounds. All of this is likely why Immelman found himself in Cincinnati in early December.
“Not at all. I’m nervous,” says Immelmann. “I don’t want to let my teammates down, especially the guy sitting next to me.”
“I’m nervous as hell, quite frankly,” McManus rebukes agrees with a chuckle. “Because I’m the man who made the decision.”
“nothing – nothing – To be nervous about it, Nantes opponents said more earnestly. “This is the most advantageous.”
Nantz represents the more serious opinions of those around CBS in expressing his support for Immelman, whose professionalism and preparation have earned high marks already with golf’s longest-running broadcast team.
However, there is only one chance to make a first impression as a lead analyst at CBS Golf, and if Immelman plays his cards right, it could be the last First impression ever.
2. New dynamics at the top
“There is no substitute for Sir Nick,” McManus admits, speaking of the CBS Team of the Year. But he leaves a key point: no replacement may be necessary.
Faldo’s departure gives CBS the opportunity to rely on its analysts in a way it couldn’t in years past, when Faldo’s magic carried much of the heavy lifting. Sure, the dynamic between Immelman and Nantz will make a noticeable difference to golf fans, but the return of the rest of the team on air (notably Frank Nobilo, Ian Baker Finch, Dotty Pepper, Colt Nost, Amanda Renner, and producer Sellers Shee) should help smooth out any bumps that arise when he charts the CBS booth. a new path.
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James Colgan
3. A larger table
beigeEST From a programming perspective.
In 2023, CBS will broadcast the FedEx Cup Playoffs for the first time, covering the final three events of the PGA Tour season. The network will also handle “custom event” coverage of the WM Phoenix Open, Genesis, Memorial, RBC Heritage, and more.
In addition to the tour schedule, CBS will continue to cover the Masters tournaments, the PGA Championship and the Scottish Open. In total, the network will cover 23 events, including two majors and four countries, in the new year.
“We have 23 events in ’23, and that’s a big deal for us,” said Shy, the CBS producer.
4. Technical improvements
Drones and “Fixed Leaderboard” were two of the CBS Sellers Producer She The most well-received change among the golf viewing public. We expect to see improvements to both properties, as well as an increase in the frequency of ultra-high-resolution Fly Cam, Boat Cam and Atlas camera footage used throughout the broadcast.
5. Reducing the “trade burden”
no one Likes Commercials during golf broadcasts, the least of which are those responsible for executing them. Shy and McManus both pointed to the scoreboard and segment improvements as part of the pair’s effort to streamline the viewing experience on CBS. This could mean fewer pre-produced packages, or something like that Sports Business Journal I reported, sprinting to interview the CEO of the tournament sponsor — for much of our coverage from Sunday afternoon — through Saturday.
6. Amplify your biggest moments
Last year, CBS experimented with the first portable of its kind on WM, bringing host Amanda Renner and on-course analyst Colt Knost to the famous 16th tee box. At the time, the goal was to have Renner help capture power in one of the sport’s best environments.
Then came Sam Ryder’s famous ace and the wild celebration that followed, which Renner and Nost expertly pulled off.
In ’23, Shi said CBS expects to implement a similar strategy at a handful of the biggest golf “venues” in hopes of capitalizing on the energy it found at No. 16.
