The PGA Tour continues to grapple with broadcast woes that have marred its image for years. Despite claims of marked improvements by PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan, it seems that the tour’s broadcast issues remain a hard pill for viewers to swallow.
Fans have long complained about the tour’s coverage shortfalls, accusing it of prioritizing advertisements over actual golf action. This sentiment was echoed by Trent and Riggs on the Fore Play Podcast Plus, where they lambasted the tour for its failure to effectively televise golf tournaments, despite the frequency of these events.
The duo highlighted the frustration of casual viewers who might tune into a final round, only to be left clueless about the journey that led the golfer to that point. This problem is amplified when the golfer in question is less renowned, as the cameras often focus predominantly on the popular figures.
An illustrative case of this was the 2023 Tiger Woods comeback at the Hero World Challenge. The cameras were largely fixated on the golf legend, with commercials dominating the non-Woods screen time. Other players, including the eventual winner, Scottie Scheffler, were largely sidelined.
Monahan, however, maintains a positive outlook about the tour’s broadcast operations. He asserts that the tour, in collaboration with its network partners, has made significant strides in increasing the number of golf shots shown per hour. He also highlighted the positive feedback received for broadcasting player/caddie interactions, arguing that the tour is evolving in a way that aligns with what viewers want.
But is this rosy picture that Monahan paints the reality? Historical evidence suggests otherwise.
In 2023, Monahan revealed in an interview that the tour’s media rights discussions had focused on improving the number of live golf shots shown. However, fans beg to differ, arguing that little change has been observed.
Fast forward to 2024, the PGA Tour was lambasted for its inadequate coverage of The Sentry Tournament, where Sahith Theegala led with a 9-under 64. The broadcast was criticized for over-focusing on the leaderboard and commentators at the expense of the live action, which played out off-screen.
Adding his voice to the conversation, Collin Morikawa stressed the need to make golf more intriguing to viewers and to make broadcasting more approachable. He pointed out that the lack of adequate coverage could lead viewers to seek alternative ways to keep tabs on the game.
Monahan remains undeterred by these criticisms. He recently spoke about the CBS and PGA Tour’s joint drone tracking technology at TPC Sawgrass, which was also used at this year’s Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines. According to CBS coordinating producer Sellers Shy, this technology aims to bring viewers closer to the action. But whether fans will notice this difference at The PLAYERS Championship starting March 13 remains to be seen.
In conclusion, despite Monahan’s positive feedback claims, the PGA Tour continues to face heat for its perceived ‘inexcusable’ coverage. The true test of the tour’s broadcast improvements will be if fans notice a difference this month. Until then, the viewership debate rages on.
