The Augusta Masters is back, and with it, the buzz has also returned. Every year, the entire golfing world looks forward to the epic battle between the greatest golfers in the world. And to amp up the hype even further, ESPN has recently launched Thomas Rhett as the voice of the Masters.
In a recent announcement, ESPN has dropped the cover of ‘Georgia On My Mind,’ sung by Rhett. For the uninitiated, the song dates back to 1930 and was sung by Ray Charles. Written by Stuart Gorrell and Hoagy Carmichael, the song has gained a legendary status by now. Thanks to Charles’ fantastic voice, the song was made the official state song of Georgia. This was done immediately after Charles performed it at the state legislature in 1979.
And that was not all. ‘Georgia On My Mind’ also had two Grammy Hall of Fame inductions till now. The first time it had the honor was for the original 1930 version. Next up, it was Charles’ recording in 1960 that had the prestige of getting on level pegging with the elites. Thus, naturally, having sung such a GOATed song, Rhett is thrilled.
#GEORGIA ON MY MIND
— ESPN debuts its 2026 Masters Campaign featuring Thomas Rhett.
pic.twitter.com/XFQXDHmm8I
— NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) March 23, 2026
“Recording ‘Georgia On My Mind’ was a pretty surreal moment for me. Being from Georgia, sports and music are both just in my blood. Obviously, nobody can touch the original, but it meant a lot to me to be asked to honor both the song and tradition of the Masters,” said Rhett.
Surely, with things looking rosy, the official countdown has now begun. With the likes of Rory McIlroy trying to win the Masters for a second time, fans are seemingly split about ESPN’s latest move.
Fans share their two cents following latest ESPN announcement
One fan, seemingly a fan of the jazz standard, loved the promotional stance from ESPN. They appreciated how the clip was kept simple by compiling a few of the most iconic moments of the Masters without any commentary. The comment read, “It’s good. Just do this every year. No other music just a simple Georgia on my Mind. Good job.”
For many years, the song Georgia on My Mind sung by Ray Charles was closely associated with the broadcast of The Masters. It became a tradition and fans connected the song with the tournament’s emotional and historic feel. The fact that ESPN and the authority decided to shift from it since last year has kept several fans dissatisfied. One fan commented with disdain, “Absolutely terrible call moving away from Ray Charles @TheMasters”.
Another fan compared the campaign with last year’s campaign and stated, “Better than last year with Noah Kahan, but just give us the classic”. For the 2025 Masters Tournament, Noah Kahan covered the classic song “Georgia on My Mind” for ESPN’s promotional campaign, which was released in March.
Another netizen did not seem to like the stance. They highlighted how classics should not be selected for remakes, as, according to their opinion, the original version is the best. “Serious question – why do they keep messing around with any version except the original? Thomas Rhett isn’t going to bring any additional eyeballs covering a song in a commercial, so what’s the motivation? All they’re doing is pissing off the core audience,” read the comment from the disappointed fan.
“Why do we as a society constantly remake songs that are already masterpieces,” said another X user, echoing the same emotion.
Thus, with things looking complicated, fans cannot wait to see what happens next.
