Behind The Scenes

One Augusta home away from home is a Masters tradition for Van Pelt

Commentator Scott Van Pelt (l) and analyst Andy North are housemates in Augusta.

AUGUSTA, Ga. — SportsCenter anchor Scott Van Pelt has been traveling to cover the Masters for many years and one of the traditions associated with the legendary golf event rings home for him in more ways than one.

It’s a common practice in Augusta for families to vacate their homes for the week of the event and rent them to golfers, corporate representatives and members of the media. Van Pelt, analyst Andy North, reporter Tom Rinaldi and ESPN vice president, production, Mike McQuade have shared the same house for the last 10 years.

“You kind of pick your room based on when you arrive, and I got there late the first year,” Van Pelt said between live SportsCenter shots from the Masters. “So I was all the way upstairs in the little girl’s room in like a twin bed.”

Since the families are out of town during the event, Van Pelt has never met the people who live in the house the rest of the year.

“Over the time that we’ve been there, you’ve seen the family grow up in pictures on the walls, which is bizarre,” he said. “I think she’s now a teenager, and I keep waiting to show up and have the room be in like a Goth phase, but that hasn’t happened yet.”

Van Pelt said the house has been renovated in the time he’s stayed there but it works well as a home base during the Masters, when he and his roommates often work from early morning until well past 9 p.m.

“I joke that I’ve stolen something from the house every year, like I have a whole set of flatware,” Van Pelt said. “But that isn’t true. I might have taken a fork, because you never know when you’re going to need a fork, but other than that I’ve left everything as I found it.”

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