SAM TORRANCE AXED BY BBC FROM MASTERS TV TEAM

FROM THE DAILY TELEGRAPH WEBSITE

By KEVIN GARSIDE

Sam Torrance will be missing from the BBC commentary box next week after being axed for the Masters. Torrance was cut on economic grounds last month and immediately withdrew his services for the Open at Royal St George’s in July.

Torrance has been stunned by the unexpected turn of events. Alongside his participation on the European Seniors Tour, he had hoped to develop his punditry role after six years of successful service.

His avuncular delivery in that rich Scottish brogue made Torrance a popular addition to a BBC team in need of renewal. The arrival of Sky cameras at Augusta for the first time this year has diminished the BBC’s output, forcing a share of the broadcast rights.
Torrance said: “I felt I was becoming a fixture. They just said, ‘look Sam we have two days live and two days recording. We can’t afford to take you’.

“Because the only other event I do for them, with no Ryder Cup this year, is the Open, I felt I had to pull out of that.

“They wanted me to do the Open. I wanted to do it, but I can’t build a commentating career on one event a year. I felt I had to stand up for myself.”

Though Torrance is lost to a terrestrial audience, he may not be lost to broadcasting. The move paves the way for Sky to enhance their coverage with an offer for Torrance, if not at Augusta, certainly at the Open and beyond. It is understood that preliminary talks have already taken place between Sky and Torrance’s advisers.

So instead of talking us through the closing holes a week on Sunday, Torrance will host a Masters party at his home.