Fans are ripping CBS Sports to shreds for botching the televised finish of this year’s Masters Tournament because the network’s cameras missed the final shots as winner Rory McIlroy edged out opponent Cam Young for the win.
On Sunday, McIlroy became the first pro golfer to win back-to-back Masters titles since Tiger Woods did it in 2002. But CBS missed all four of McIlroy’s and Young’s final shots because the cameras were so poorly placed that TV viewers could not tell where the balls were. The New York Post reported.
Worse, McIlroy’s final, game-winning putt was left to the viewers’ imagination because the cameraman was situated behind the golfer, and his stroke was hidden from view.
WATCH:
Fans railed at CBS for the terrible coverage:
“CBS not being able to show the location of the final two approach shots of the masters is the cherry on top of an all-time horrible broadcast,” one fan wrote on X.
Another wrote, “Hundreds of millions of dollars to produce the Masters broadcast, and we got to see Rory’s feet. No one with a handheld you would have switched to?”
McIlroy’s final putt wasn’t the only thing the CBS cameras didn’t capture very well. Both McIlroy’s and Young’s shots up to the green were also invisible to viewers at home because the camera angles prevented fans from seeing where the balls rolled to a stop.
The cameras had switched to a wide and far view of the green on the final approaches of both golfers. However, the view was so far back that the balls could not be seen onscreen.
“The biggest 10 minutes of the year in our sport and we’ve got no idea where the golf balls are,” another fan on X wrote.
One fan blasted the camerawork for not even being in focus: “They even lost focus for nearly half a minute during Rory’s walk to the clubhouse. I could have filmed this better with my iPhone.”
The tournament was a nail-biter for McIlroy, too. Earlier in the tournament, he was an undisputed leader by six strokes, a tournament record. However, he began to slip toward the end, allowing Cam Young to catch up. Young even led for a few holes close to the finish. But McIlroy battled back and finally took his second green jacket — and his second consecutive Masters win.
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