Sunday’s thrilling final round of the Masters kept spectators on the edge of their seats as Rory McIlroy aimed to secure his career grand slam. CBS received widespread praise for its presentation of McIlroy’s roller coaster round, but Chris “Mad Dog” Russo voiced a contrarian perspective. On First Take Wednesday morning, he criticized CBS for what he perceived as a premature coronation of McIlroy.
Chris “Mad Dog” Russo takes issue with CBS’ coverage of Rory McIlroy’s Masters win.
“They spent so much time in the last two hours jinxing him… you can’t do that with McIlroy! He’s not Jack, he’s not Tiger… I had so many fans rooting for Rory who said, ‘jeez, they’re jinxing… pic.twitter.com/g01Nghxwvb
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) April 16, 2025
“They went on and on, much too premature,” Mad Dog remarked, emphasizing how CBS seemingly declared the outcome too early during pivotal moments of the game. “They thought it was over on 13, on 15 when he hit that great 7-iron, on 16 when he made a nice shot, and even on 17 after his birdie. But you can’t do that with McIlroy! He’s not Jack [Nicklaus] or Tiger [Woods]. When you give him a three-shot lead, he’s not blowing it. Rory’s unpredictable, which makes it thrilling. When you think it’s over, it’s not; his game swings from greatness to missteps. I had so many fans telling me, ‘Jeez, they’re jinxing it! Shut up!’ And honestly, they’re right!”
While Mad Dog firmly believes in the so-called “announcer jinx,” it raises the question: was McIlroy really jinxed? Ultimately, he won the golf tournament and achieved his career grand slam; it wasn’t an easy path, but victory is what counts. There’s a valid discussion to be had regarding CBS and Jim Nantz’s focus on McIlroy. Regardless of whether he won or lost, McIlroy was the main story of this year’s Masters, and CBS was simply fulfilling its role by covering the narrative that resonated most with viewers.
