The familiar voice of Mike Tirico will not be heard during the Masters this year, with the NBC announcer breaking from a long-held policy when it comes to media work
13:12 ET, 29 Mar 2026Updated 13:14 ET, 29 Mar 2026
Mike Tirico watches on
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Mike Tirico will not be at the Masters this year(Image: Greg Fiume/Getty Images)
Mike Tirico has given up his radio job for the Masters after a chaotic stretch for the revered broadcaster.
Tirico, the voice of the NFL, NBA and Olympics for NBC, has had a long association with Augusta National, helming ESPN's coverage before he made the leap to NBC in 2016. But he found a way back to the opening major of the season in 2022 as the play-by-play announcer for SiriusXM.
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After a hectic schedule this year, which included calling the Super Bowl, spearheading the first year of the network's new NBA deal and leading the coverage of the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics, the 59-year-old has carved out a break in his schedule by taking a year off from the Masters.
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Taylor Zarzour will lead the radio coverage in Tirico's place. Zarzour is the play-by-play caller for the Tennessee Titans and has been the No. 2 announcer for the Masters' radio coverage in recent years. He has been covering the tournament in some capacity for almost 20 years.
Speaking to The Tennesseean, Zarzour confirmed that Tirico intends to return to Augusta National in 2027. Zarzour said: "Mike decided this year because he did the Super Bowl and the Olympics, and he's been so busy with the NBA, to take the year off, and they asked me to do it instead.
"I'm going to miss Mike because he's just the best there is, and he's helped me so much over the years."
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Taylor Zarzour and Greg Norman look on from the SiriusXM radio booth
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Taylor Zarzour (left) is a long-term member of the SiriusXM crew at the Masters and called the 2021 final round with Greg Norman (Image: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
Even after decades behind the microphone, covering many of the most prestigious events in sports, Tirico does not give up a job lightly.
Zarzour recalled the moment he received a call from Tirico to say he was skipping this year's pilgrimage to Augusta, where the tournament begins on April 9.
"Mike called me from the Super Bowl and said, 'I know I've never said no to anything, but this is the only weekend I am going to have off,'" Zarzour said. "And he was like, 'It's your turn. You need to do this.'
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"I said, 'You better be coming back,' and he said he had every intention of coming back. So if it's just this year, great. If it's the next 40 years, great."
Zarzour is relishing the opportunity to lead the call, but he has no problem playing second fiddle to Tirico. The experience of working around him and CBS's lead man, Jim Nantz, has helped Zarzour to hone his craft and prepare him for other opportunities.
"It's incredible getting to work with Mike. He is such a great teammate, and I have learned so much from working with him," Zarzour added. "And Jim has been the same way. We work closely with the TV guys."