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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Matthew Cooper

Masters TV insight as CBS chief makes "cover up" opinion clear over LIV Golf players

CBS chairman Sean McManus insists the channel will not "cover up or hide anything" in their coverage of the Masters.

This year's edition of the major will feature several LIV Golf stars after Augusta National organisers confirmed last year they would not be instituting a ban. In a statement, Masters chairman Fred Ridley said: "Regrettably, recent actions have divided men's professional golf by diminishing the virtues of the game and the meaningful legacies of those who built it.

"Although we are disappointed in these developments, our focus is to honour the tradition of bringing together a pre-eminent field of golfers this coming April. Therefore, as invitations are sent this week, we will invite those eligible under our current criteria to compete in the 2023 Masters Tournament."

As a result, the involvement of LIV golfers such as Cameron Smith, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau and Phil Mickelson will be a huge talking point. However, CBS only have a TV deal with the PGA Tour, and NBC's Golf Channel recently erased LIV players from a 'past champions' graphic on their broadcast of the WGC Match Play, prompting questions over how the Masters will be covered.

"We're not going to cover up or hide anything," McManus insisted when asked about their plans by Golfweek. "As I've said often, our job is to cover the golf tournament.

"We're not going to show any different treatment for the golfers who have played on the LIV Tour than the other golfer. If there is a pertinent point or something that we feel we should bring up in our coverage Saturday or Sunday or on our other coverage throughout the week, we're not going to put our heads in the sand."

McManus also stated CBS has no plans to play up the ongoing civil war between LIV and the PGA Tour, adding: "Having said that, unless it really affects the story that's taking place on the golf course, we're not going to go out of our way to cover it.

The Masters announced last year it would not be banning LIV golfers (Simon Bruty/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)

"I'm not sure there is anything that we could add to this story as it already exists. It's a factor and we'll cover it as suitable."

CBS' lead analyst and former Masters winner Trevor Immelman added: "The Masters Tournament and Augusta National is bigger than any player that has come before, any player that is around now and any player that will come in the years ahead.

"That's what we're focused on is giving that tournament justice and crowning a great champion and putting a Green Jacket on a great champion on Sunday afternoon."

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