Verne Lundquist announces 2024 Masters will be his final tournament as a commentator
CBS Sports Verne Lundquist has been one of those sports broadcasters that has been a staple of many different events during his extensive career. He’s been lucky enough to be on the broadcast at The Masters for 39 years, nearly four decades.
With The Masters coming up in a few months in April, many might have wondered how many more times we would hear his voice at Augusta National. On Wednesday evening, CBS confirmed the news that this year will be the 40th and final Masters for Lundquist as a broadcaster.
Lundquist has been lucky enough to call some of the more magical moments in Masters history. Few were bigger than Tiger Woods’ iconic chip in 2005, when he made one of the more impossible shots in tournament history.
Over the course of his broadcasting career, Lundquist also became synonymous with SEC football on CBS. His voice is the track of many legendary moments in the conference’s history.
The Masters is one of the most anticipated events of the year
The Masters has annually been one of the most anticipated sports events on the calendar. There are few golf courses out there with the majestic beauty that is Augusta National. It’s a highly exclusive event, both for players to play in and for fans to get tickets. According to Tickpick.com, simply a general admission ticket to one of the practice rounds will cost you $1,380.
For fans looking for a cheaper option to view Augusta National in person, there are tickets to the Augusta National Women’s Amateur Championship–the final round available for $689. You can try to get much cheaper tickets through a lottery, but like The Masters, they are incredibly tough tickets to get.
Jon Rahm won the 2023 version of The Masters after he fired -12 under par for the four days, four shots ahead of Phil Mickelson and Brooks Koepka. Koepka and Mickelson were tied for second place at 8-under par. Koepka was leading for much of the tournament, but struggled mightily on the final day, ceding the victory to Rahm after he shot a 75 on Sunday.
Koepka was ahead by four strokes on Sunday, but played his worst when he needed it the most in the fourth round. Such is the pressure of big-time major events, and that pressure is remarkably real, even for a player with Koepka’s remarkable track record in the majors.
It’ll be fascinating to see who brings home the green jacket again this year. And golf fans will be glued to their televisions across the country for what is annually one of the most anticipated events of the year.
On3’s Steve Samra also contributed to this article.