For CBS' Barrow, 'It just doesn't get better than this'

You know the Masters is a special event when the man who's been CBS' lead producer for Super Bowls, Olympic Games, the Daytona 500 and nearly every significant golf tournament on the planet says being at Augusta National is like being in the Garden of Eden.

By Rudy Klancnik, Special to PGATOUR.COM

When the leaders walk off the green on No. 11 Sunday afternoon and hear the cheers from the masses at the tee box at No. 12, no golf fans worth their salt would deny goose bumps. That would include the guy bringing you the pictures, words and those cheers from Augusta, Ga.

"There are countless moments at Augusta that are unforgettable, whether you're there in person or watching on television. But for me, it doesn't get better than the greeting the best golfers in the world get when they walk to the 12th tee box," said Lance Barrow.

Barrow knows something about capturing unforgettable moments. He's been calling the shots for CBS Sports' coverage at the Masters since 1997. Perhaps you remember that year's event ... a certain red-shirt clad gentleman lapped the field and became an instant classic by reaching 18 under par, besting Jack Nicklaus' record by a stroke.

"That was quite a year for me and for the tournament," Barrow said. "Tiger Woods winning the way he did, by just blowing away the field, was something for the ages. I couldn't have picked a better way to start for him or me."

It's now 13 years later and Tiger again will tee off on Thursday with a breathless audience following his every move. Of course, the storyline is a tad bit different this year. An offseason for the ages makes this year's march around Augusta for Tiger one of the most unique in the history of the tournament. When TMZ is staked outside the gates, you know something is not quite right in the golf world.

Regardless of the hoopla surrounding Tiger's 2010 debut, Barrow plans to cover it the same way he's always done.

"The best thing about this tournament is that we play it the same place every year," Barrow said. "Most of the people associated with covering the Masters have been doing it for a long time, which makes it such a comfortable fit for all of us. We know the right camera positions, how to deal with the elements and what holes are typically going to give us the most game-changing shots.

"Then again, it's the Masters and you never really know what to expect and when to expect it," Barrow added. "That's why you just have to be ready. Around this place, fortunes can change in one shot, let alone one hole. We see guys bounce up the leaderboard and become the story in a matter of minutes. We have to be ready to focus on him and his story at a moment's notice. That makes this place a real challenge and a real treat. It just doesn't get better than this."

For a guy who's been the lead producer for Super Bowls, Olympic Games, the Daytona 500 and nearly every significant golf tournament on the planet, that's saying something. Barrow is without peer in his business, winning 10 Emmy awards for both his PGA TOUR and NFL coverage.  A graduate of Abilene (Texas) Christian University, Barrow was a two-sport athlete (football and basketball) who started his career as a spotter for CBS Sports at another famous run at the Masters - Tom Watson's historic win there in 1977.

While Jim Nantz has earned his place in our living rooms the second week of April every year, it's Barrow that's behind those ridiculously gorgeous shots of the fairway at 13 or the green at 16 and the tee box looking down the barrel of 18.

"You'd really have a tough time taking a bad shot (on camera) of this place," said Barrow, whose army of more than 600 CBS Sports' teammates arrive two weeks early to get things ready to roll. "Still, regardless of how great our coverage is from year to year, people who are fortunate enough to attend the tournament are usually blown away by what they see. You simply can't capture the hills or the speed of the greens on television. You have to see it to believe it."

Nantz and Barrow work together about 40 weeks each year on PGA TOUR and NFL football assignments. That means about 250 days on the road living out of suitcases. But you'll never catch Barrow calling this a grind.

"I'm the luckiest guy in the world," he said. "Especially this year. Every four years we get the privilege of covering both the Super Bowl and the Masters in less than three months. How great is that? These aren't sporting events. They're world events, two of the biggest around. We had a magnificent Super Bowl thanks to the Saints and Colts. Now we're getting set for what everyone thinks will be a great Masters."

Barrow said that despite what many think, the folks who run the show at the Masters have never, ever so much as handed him a suggestion on a Post-It Note. "Never have we been told where to put a camera or how to cover the tournament," Barrow explained. "They've been nothing but great partners year after year. Sure, there are rules of the road, just like every tournament we go to. But the people around here have never gotten in our way in producing the broadcast we all want."

Last year's dramatic finish at Augusta, one that included Kenny Perry's meltdown and a near-historic charge by the pairing of Phil and Tiger, certainly ranks high on Barrow's list of cherished memories. But nothing tops 1986 when Jack Nicklaus did what no one thought possible.

"That was beyond words," Barrow said of Nicklaus' win at the age of 46. "Being part of that broadcast was a dream. Watching Jack come down the stretch like a freight train was something to behold. It still gives me goose bumps when I think about it.

"Of all the holes, No. 16 stands out again and again for drama," Barrow continued. "Davis Love chipping in from an amazing angle. Then Tiger executing a very similar shot to put an exclamation point on the 2005 Masters. Greg Norman's charge in the 1986 Masters. If Jack hadn't done what he did, it would be Norman's finest moment. Years later when (Nick) Faldo hugged him after the infamous disaster on the back nine, I couldn't help but think of what could have been."

This year's version of the greatest golf tournament in the world no doubt will create remarkable shots (both good and bad), unforgettable drama and the most beautiful vista on the planet. It's the surest bet this side of death and taxes.

"I tell people all the time that this place must be what Adam and Eve experienced in the Garden of Eden," Barrow said. "It's an amazing place that never disappoints. Thursday just can't get here fast enough."

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