When you come to think of it that is the secret of most of the great holes all over the world. They all have some kind of a twist. C.B. MACDONALD
Two more Quadrilaterals went out to paying subscribers, my version of Winners and Losers and a wrap-up of the best and least satisfying elements of PGA coverage.
Included in the latter are plenty of CBS and ESPN notes, plus comments from CBS Sports Chairman Sean McManus on the commercial load and the wild scene at 18.
I’m really enjoying the format and invading your inboxes. Sign up options here.
Frankly, the Player Impact Program ramifications are just too complex. At least I think. Since that was meant to be a secret rewards program we just do not know what the algorithms will say about this Todd Lewis interview of Brooks Koepka where all Bryson DeChambeau had to do was walk by to elicit genuine pain, agony and swearing.
The key line from Brooks for the historical record: “Sometimes, uh I lost my train of thought, hearing that bull!@#$t…&*^%ing Christ.” Or words to that effect.
The tape obviously was left on the Live From The PGA cutting room floor, so I’ve reached out to NBC Sports for an explanation as to how it made it’s way to a Twitter account and very quickly, legendary PIP virality (2.5 million views not more than 120 minutes after getting posted). I’ll share an update on how the tape got out when I hear back from Golf Channel’s parent company.
The disdain he has for Bryson is the best thing going in golf these days. 🤣 pic.twitter.com/1bwMkUx0iy
— Ryan (@RJWinfield) May 25, 2021
A YouTube edition that gives the PVB Police another takedown to deal with:
Thanks god for @this_vid pic.twitter.com/aaS52WwESB
— Forrest M (@mctrees02) May 25, 2021
The Hollywood Reporter’s Kim Masters speculates on ramifications of the Warnermedia-Discovery merger and floats this doozy that would have huge ramifications for golf:
Before it emerged that Discovery was in the game, the betting had been that NBCUniversal would make off with the WarnerMedia assets, including premium cabler HBO, Warner Bros. studios and Turner networks like TNT and TBS. A decision to make an offer would have been up to NBCU owner Comcast, which may have hesitated and lost out on the chance. Now sources believe NBCU will turn its sights on ViacomCBS.
Whether or not that happens, says one knowledgeable source, depends on if ViacomCBS chairman Shari Redstone is a seller (she’d have to consider it, given the state of the media world) and if the deal — which would potentially bring assets including CBS and NBC, with their various news operations, under one roof, not to mention Paramount and Universal — can pass federal antitrust scrutiny. It would be sure to face a much harder look from regulators than a Discovery combination with WarnerMedia. No doubt assets would have to be shed if such a marriage were to be attempted.
Oh they know how to shed!
The story goes on to detail some golf stuff related to Jeff Zucker and AT&T Chief John Stankey.
Bloomberg broke the Sunday stunner: barring a last minute issue, AT&T will spin off its Warnermedia empire and merge with Discovery.
While most of the hardcore golfers have moved on from the ranks of AT&T leadership, Discovery’s David Zaslav is the brains behind the PGA Tour-GolfTV partnership and his company owns Golf Digest.
It remains unclear who will lead the new combined company, but Zaslav seems the likely candidate and his role as CEO would certainly help the cause of a few golf partnerships.
While she’s a former Kiawah resident and a pivotal part of the CBS announce team, that takes second fiddle in this Q&A to Dottie Pepper’s remarkable new book.
As I noted in The Quadrilateral introduction, there has never been a book like Letters To A Future Champion in golf’s vast library. I think it’s an especially important read for a young golfer aspiring to greater things. Those searching for necessary comfort to offset the blows this game delivers will also take heart in George Pulver’s letters.
It’s also just a very understated autobiographical story of a player on the cusp of Hall status who, like many women of her generation, were not afforded some of the opportunities today’s players enjoy.
You can read more about Letters To A Future Champion here and also find an easy link to purchase a copy of this magnificently produced tome.
The Walker Cup was expected to be a Team USA route given a much stronger roster on paper. But whether it’s the mystery and still unexplained virus plaguing both teams, Seminole’s intricacies, or the value of world rankings, but Team Great Britain and Ireland trails by just two points headed to Sunday’s final day.
Golfweek’s Julie Williams with the day one recap here for Golfweek
Adam Schupak on Pierceson Coody sitting in the morning and overcoming the mystery illness to win in front of grandfather Charles.
Tyler Strafaci tried to warm up but as Craig Dolch reports, bowed out of his Saturday singles match, replaced by William Mouw (who won 4&3).
Good news though: GolfDigest.com’s Ryan Herrington reports on Strafaci’s rough Saturday but says the U.S. Amateur champion is penciled in for 36 holes Sunday.
Mike Trostel with three things to know from the day.
And a super photo gallery with images from Chris Keane and Scott Halleran.
The broadcast was uneven, with some tech issues and little in-depth storytelling other than Steve Burkowski’s always-spot on factoids and backstories. Uninterrupted by commercials thanks to Rolex, John Pak’s 13th hole birdie putt to win the hole was interrupted to tell us about the uninterrupted coverage.
It’s hard to complain without ads and with memories of the last Walker Cup on Golf Channel airing late at night via one-hour highlight shows. And the show was solid on Saturday when matches reached the intricate and volatile finishing holes. When the finishing hole didn’t happen in the afternoon singles, a painful twenty minutes of filler meant the return of a past venues graphic we’d seen at least twice, plus Buddy Marucci’s insipid observations and an awkward attempt to preview Sunday’s possible 18th hole pin.
Actually, a forensic of the 17th green would have been better given that it seemed borderline unplayable. Heck, I’d watch ten minutes of Notah, Bones and Curt Byrum in a putting contest on 17 instead of telling us yet again that the Walker Cup goes to amazing courses.
As always, the aerial views were spectacular. When the late light set in and the impossibly beautiful blue Atlantic looked spectacular, you wished the drone crew looking for Quail Hollow beauty could be at Seminole instead.
Also, real reporting on the virus outbreak would have been nice. Are health officials in the area alarmed that 18 of 24 young men (and their captains) came to town, convened at both a luxury hotel and an ultra-private golf club, only to be met with brutal symptoms requiring trips to the hospital?
That’s potentially a national news story. While not much fun, should have been more thoroughly explained, if nothing else to reassure the USGA’s guests at The Breakers the breakfast buffet is safe.
Anyway, your highlights and celebrity sightings:
Walker Cup is the place to be and be seen today. Bumped into Gary Koch, Gerry McIlroy, Camilo Villegas, not to mention Gov. Ron DeSantis, who had one journo tell him “he’s the best damn governor in the world.”
— Adam Schupak (@AdamSchupak) May 8, 2021
Some more of the celebrity sightings at Seminole:
— Adam Schupak (@AdamSchupak) May 8, 2021
Larry Fitzgerald
Greg Norman
Lee Westwood
Fred Ridley
Seth Waugh
Jessica Korda
Michelle McGann
Every agent worth a darn
Seminole (USGA)
One frustration of the cable/streaming universe will be on full display with Golf Channel’s coverage of the 2021 Walker Cup.
While this event has really gotten the short end of the TV window world (other than Fox in 2017), this year we will get more broadcast time than possibly ever before, including Friday’s opening ceremony.
But when the golf starts, the schedule is positively schizophrenic and it doesn’t have to be that way. I reached to ask Golf Channel reps for clarification but did not hear back.
In a nutshell, if you want to watch all of the matches, you’ll have to do a lot of switching between Peacock and Golf Channel. Or if you’ve cut the cable, Peacock and NBCSports.com. They are, in case you did not know, owned by the same company. So why the streaming coverage cannot be consolidated into one viewing experience is anyone’s guess.
Anyway, For Immediate Release:
GOLF CHANNEL AND PEACOCK PRESENT NBC SPORTS’ LIVE COVERAGE OF THE WALKER CUP THIS SATURDAY AND SUNDAY
Seminole Golf Club to Host Storied Biannual Amateur Competition Between U.S. and Great Britain/Ireland
Flag-Raising Ceremony to be Presented Live on Television for First Time in 20 Years This Friday at 6 p.m. ET on GOLF Channel
Former President George W. Bush Narrates Opening Tease
Walker Cup Kicks Off NBC Sports’ 2021 Coverage of Nine USGA Events
STAMFORD, Conn. – May 5, 2021 – NBC Sports begins its first full season of USGA championships and events with live coverage of the Walker Cup this Saturday and Sunday from Seminole Golf Club in Juno Beach, Fla., on GOLF Channel and Peacock.
The Walker Cup, which is being contested on U.S. soil for the first time in spring, is a biennial 10-man amateur team competition between the USA and a team composed of players from Great Britain and Ireland. Nathaniel Crosby returns to captain this year’s U.S. Walker Cup team after leading the 2019 U.S. Walker Cup team to victory. The team includes 2020 U.S. Amateur champion Tyler Strafaci as well as three players from the 2019 U.S. Walker Cup team: John Pak, Cole Hammer and Stewart Hagestad.
The event’s storied Flag-Raising Ceremony will be presented this Friday at 6 p.m. ET during a special edition of Golf Central on GOLF Channel, marking the first time that the procession will be televised live in 20 years. All 20 players, both captains, and former Walker Cup players and captains will be in attendance.
Walker Cup morning coverage will feature foursomes matches, followed by singles matches in the afternoon. Peacock will present two hours of free, exclusive coverage on both Saturday and Sunday. For more information about golf on Peacock, click here.
Former President George W. Bush narrates the opening tease that will be featured throughout Walker Cup coverage. Click here to view the piece. Bush’s great-grandfather, George Herbert Walker, helped found the event while serving as USGA President in 1922.
Famed amateur and Seminole Golf Club member Buddy Marucci will serve as a captain insider throughout the weekend. Marucci, a former Walker Cup player and captain, has participated in over 60 USGA championships and famously battled Tiger Woods to the final hole in match play at the 1995 U.S. Amateur.
GOLF Channel/Peacock Broadcast Team
Play by Play: Dan Hicks
Analyst: Paul Azinger
Tower: Steve Burkowski
On-Course: Notah Begay / Jim “Bones” Mackay / Curt Byrum
Interviews: Steve Sands
Captain Insider: Buddy Marucci
How To Watch – Saturday, May 8 – Sunday, May 9 (all times ET)
Date GOLF Channel Peacock
Saturday 11 a.m.-1 p.m.; 5:30-7:30 p.m. 10-11 a.m.; 4:30-5:30 p.m.
Sunday 11 a.m.-1 p.m.; 5:30-7:30 p.m. 10-11 a.m.; 4:30-5:30 p.m.
The Walker Cup tees off NBC Sports’ USGA championship coverage, throughout 2021, totaling nearly 150 hours across nine events. Upcoming marquee events include the U.S. Open from Torrey Pines Golf Course in San Diego (June 17-20) and the U.S. Women’s Open from The Olympic Club in San Francisco (June 3-6).
In June 2020, NBCUniversal reacquired USGA championship media rights as part of a new partnership and aired all four of the USGA’s championships last year.
All GOLF Channel coverage also streams on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app via “TV Everywhere,” giving consumers additional value for their subscription service, and making high quality content available to MVPD customers both in and out of the home and on multiple platforms.
Again, we’re thrilled with all the coverage, but a streamer leaving NBCSports.com to go to Peacock should not have to do so when the same company owns both.
Maybe without Live Under Par the kids just aren’t connected to the PGA Tour like before, or we’ll just blame cordcutting. Either way the 2021 Zurich Classic jumped to a 1.37 from a dreadful .97 in 2019. Both aired on CBS.
Showbuzzdaily with all the weekend sports ratings.
Despite averaging 700,000 more viewers the telecast only picked up 45,000 in the 18-49 yo category, going from an average of 250,000 to 295,000.
Streaming numbers are not made available.
For the LPGA Tour, a Saturday finish in LA meant eastern prime time and the Hugel-Air Premia L.A. Open averaged 277,000 on Golf Channel’s final round show. Not great but I hope the Saturday finish, where convenient, continues to get a chance.
In a column titled “TV networks’ lovefest with PGA Tour cheats viewers,” MorningRead.com’s Mike Purkey looks at the increasing chumminess of golf broadcasting, where “the airwaves are thick with collegiality” and “PGA Tour players are called by their first names or nicknames, as if it were the third flight of the club championship.”
He goes deeper into why this is happening and what it means for viewing, and also how the PGA Tour’s control is muting a lot of smart voices. A sampling:
David Feherty’s immense talents are being ignored and wasted. His interview show on Golf Channel was canceled, and he appears to be lying low and trying to stay out of trouble until he retires.
It makes you wonder whether someone told Johnny Miller what was coming so he could get out of television just in time.
If you’ve noticed, it should concern you. If you haven’t noticed, you should. No one ever accused television commentators of being journalists. But there was a time when they at least made an effort to appear objective. No players are critically analyzed. Anything negative is on the penalty side of the white stakes.
There’ll be quite a bit of alarm over the Masters all-time low ratings but I’d argue we are just seeing the effect of a star power void and increased streaming.
Yes, the ratings are the lowest for a springtime playing since Nielsen has been tracking, but still hit an average audience of 9.4 million/5.52 rating with a peak of 12.89 million as Hideki Matsuyama and Xander Schauffele got to the finishing holes. That would make it the most watched golf tournament since the 2019 Masters.
Let’s throw out 2020 (November) and 2019 (Tiger/early start to beat storms) for comparison purposes:
2018: 13.027 million average on a 7.9 rating for Patrick Reed’s win.
2017: 11.05 million average on a 6.8 rating for Sergio Garcia’s win.
A drop but CBS believes when all the numbers are in that this will the second-most streamed Masters other than 2019’s Woods win. With more cordcutting and three working options for viewing online or via apps, a nice chunk of the slide can be attributed to the better-than-most streaming options.
Also not helping: the languid pace of play (4:20 rounds) and the lack of any serious charges at Matsuyama until late. With many parts of the country reopening I’m sure CBS lost viewers to people happy to be out and about.
That said, this is a fine opportunity for all involved to also acknowledge golf’s “product” and star power issues in the post-Tiger era. Addressing this is no easy task and the PGA Tour is showing no signs of trying, believing if you just repeat the word “athletes” enough it’ll all work out in the end.
So it’ll be on the governing bodies to tighten up some equipment rules that might reward the most skilled, keep stars in the limelight just a bit more and shorten the length of rounds. One thing clear from the week: the ratings cannot be blamed on a lack of viewing options or production values.
On the Golf Channel front, going back to a comparable schedule in 2018 you can see the impact of multiple forces on the “Live From” show: increased ESPN presence, a larger streaming viewership and no real reason to watch with better alternatives. Weekend shows in 2018 prior to CBS live coverage hovered around 1.5 million viewers. This year, well less than half that many tuned in for a couple of shows earlier in the day before tuning out, focusing on streaming or going out for some golf.
2018’s ratings:
Golf Channel sent out an odd April Fools-tinged press release to tout their Live From ratings as the most-watched Masters daily preview show.
There are only two and one spends more time cover other sports than the golf.
The release also compared numbers to the totally incomparable fall 2020 Masters.*
Live From… Viewership for Full Masters Week UP 46% from 2020 and On Par with 2019, Which Featured Tiger Woods’ Historic Victory
Live From… Shows Ahead of Thursday’s Opening Round and Sunday’s Final Round Rank as GOLF Channel’s Most Watched on Respective Days Since 2018
STAMFORD, Conn. – April 13, 2021 – NBC Sports’ Live From the Masters coverage on GOLF Channel was the most-watched daily Masters preview programming on any network from Monday, April 5 through Sunday, April 11, according to official national data provided by Nielsen.
Live From the Masters daily preview coverage averaged 437,000 viewers for the full Masters week from Monday through Sunday*. For Thursday through Sunday coverage before each Masters round, Live From averaged 633,000 viewers, outperforming the closest competition by 67%.
Live From’s full-week average of 437,000 viewers topped by 46% the show’s average during November’s 2020 Masters (299,000) and was on par with the 2019 Masters (442,000), when Tiger Woods won his fifth green jacket and first major in more than a decade.
Additional viewership highlights from GOLF Channel’s Masters week coverage:
GOLF Channel’s average viewership for Masters week programming from Monday-Sunday (6 a.m.-3 a.m. ET) was up 50% vs. November 2020.
Extended Live From the Masters coverage on Thursday from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. ET averaged 463,000 viewers – marking the largest audience for the show ahead of a Masters opening round since 2018.
Live From the Masters on Sunday from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. ET delivered an average of 697,000 viewers – ranking as the best figure ahead of a Masters final round since 2018.
In total, NBC Sports presented more than 55 hours of Live From the Masters coverage from Augusta National Golf Club last week as Hideki Matsuyama finished 10-under to secure his first Masters championship, marking his first major title and becoming the first Japanese man to win a major championship.
*Based upon regularly scheduled Live From… windows (Monday, 2-5 p.m. ET, Tuesday-Friday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. ET, Saturday 9 a.m.-3 p.m. ET, Sunday 9 a.m.-2 p.m. ET)
*Asterisks in a press release…never good.
You might not have known the Masters was just 96 hours away watching the final round of the Valero Texas Open. Only a few dared to mention Charley Hoffman was not in the field next week and the storyline of him trying to earn a trip back to Augusta was largely avoided. No one wanted the red phone ringing with the dreaded 904 area code. What a world!
Hoffman put up a valiant effort but came up short, sending Jordan Spieth to The Masters with his first win in 1351 days (The 2017 Open Championship).
Notes from the Tour Communications team on site:
Five players in the last 40 years have reached 12 wins before turning 28: Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas and Spieth
Spieth becomes the 92nd player in PGA TOUR history to reach 12 wins and moves into a tie for 82nd on the all-time wins list
Spieth improves to 10-for-19 in his PGA TOUR career with the 54-hole lead/co-lead
Charley Hoffman finishes solo-second for the second consecutive time at the Valero Texas Open; finished runner-up to Corey Conners in 2019
Since 2006, Hoffman leads all players at the Valero Texas Open in top-fives (5), top-10s (7), top-25s (12), cuts made (15) and score to par (-105)
Spieth called it a monumental win for himself, as noted in this Valero wrap-up by Brentley Romine:
Quote of the day: "Man, it’s been a long road. There were a lot of times I wasn’t sure if I’d be here talking to you [Golf Channel's Todd Lewis] about this right now. I never really doubted in myself to be able to get back to where I wanted to go, but when you lose confidence a lot of times it’s hard to see the positive going forward. ... This is a monumental win for me. It’s one that I’ve certainly thought about for a long time." – Spieth
About that golf tournament and Spieth’s move up the odds board, I am not afraid to call it by its name in Monday’s Quadrilateral news and notes roundup.
Fourth round highlights:
Slow, uneven golf featuring only-a-mother-could-love finalists who often clashed with aggressively placed corporate tents, somehow failed to deter an average of 2.6 million people from tuning into the 2021 WGC Dell Match Play, reports ShowBuzzDaily in its weekly sports ratings wrap.
Taking over four gruesome hours and apparently as much time as they wanted to get around 17 holes, the Billy Horschel v. Scottie Scheffler final drew a 1.6 final round rating on NBC, down from a 2.18 in 2019 (the 2020 event was cancelled). The match took place against the NCAA basketball tournament games involving Gonzaga and Michigan.
The 2019 comparison ratings where Saturday’s coverage ranked highest thanks to Tiger Woods:
Jim Nantz has said he hopes to broadcast fifty Masters and his chances improved with a new deal at CBS. Terms have not been disclosed but he needs to stick around until 2035 to accomplish his goal.
John Ourand broke the news for Sports Business Daily.
Nantz’s current deal was set to expire this summer.
This is yet another feather for CBS as it rides a huge upswing on their early season coverage and major golf production upgrades in recent years. The Masters and PGA of America are undoubtedly thrilled to know they’ll have gravitas in the booth. And the PGA Tour is assured of having the very best in the business, especially in looking so fascinated by the dreaded CEO interviews.
The Honda Classic drew what is fast becoming seen as one of the worst schedule slots on the PGA Tour: after The Players, a week before the WGC Dell Match Play and up against the NCAA Tournament.
Showbuzzdaily.com has all of last week’s sports numbers here.
March Madness has been madder than most this year, adding to the woes. The Honda drawing an opposite event strength field did not help. Then again the 2019 Valspar, the last comparable event held on a similar weekend, did not do much better despite drawing some quality players:
With the NFL having secured $100 billion and change over the next decade from its major media conglomerate partners, the PGA Tour knows who is boss. Especially on Sundays.
But golf’s cable and linear-TV heavy audience got great news: the rush to streaming may slow down a bit. And that’s fine for a viewing audience that still values large screen viewing, easy channel flipping and only paying once for the “product”.
While the NFL has out clauses if the “platforms” change, the parties agreed to let people to watch wherever they like.
You like streaming? You’ll be able to watch on your preferred app. Enjoy no crashes and easy channel flipping? You’re good.
This is welcome news for those who prefer something that works versus the latest thing that needs work. As Kevin Draper wrote for the New York Times, the NFL has solidified “linear” television’s place for another decade:
Streaming is the present of movies and TV series and the future of sports, and growth in that sector is what is currently rewarded by Wall Street. But the number of people who pay to stream sports, and the amounts they pay, are dwarfed by the tens of millions of American households that still spend $50, $100 or even $150 each month for a television package.
The agreements cement the N.F.L.’s status as the richest sports league in the world and once again demonstrate that its programming is the keystone that keeps the crumbling traditional television ecosystem from falling apart completely.
The Athletic’s Richard Deitsch saw the deal as a victory for streaming with increased “inventory” but—and there’s always a but—say goodbye to low rates:
Let’s start with the bottom line for you as a fan: If you want to watch every NFL game, it’s going to cost you additional money. That’s the reality of the NFL extending its game inventory to streaming properties. The league attempted to navigate the new digital landscape by providing game inventory for its traditional over-the-air partners (CBS, NBC and Fox), extending inventory for its longtime cable partner (ESPN), and opening up a new landscape in the streaming space.
So if you are going all in on cord-cutting to watch golf, expect similar inventory expansion under the next TV deal. But also expect to pay more that the current prices for Peacock, Disney+, ESPN+ and Paramount+.
A bigger headache for the Tour: scheduling. All signs point to the NFL cutting into the PGA Tour’s west coast swing. That’s depressing news as we come off another strong west coast and Florida swing. This is the PGA Tour’s meat and potatoes. I mean, Super Season.
Peter King has reported on a likely move to 17-games in 2021 and certainly by the start of the new deal. The expansion translates to at least another week in the NFL season and a February 13th, 2022 Super Bowl in Los Angeles.
• The league calendar gets pushed back one week, with a likely Feb. 13 Super Bowl in Los Angeles. No extra bye—17 games in 18 weekends. Super Bowl LVI, originally scheduled for Feb. 6, 2022 and airing on NBC, has not been officially moved yet. The league hasn’t said a word about moving the game to officials in Los Angeles. But the NFL won’t start the season on the ratings-quashing Labor Day Weekend, and the league doesn’t want to add an extra regular-season bye week. So that adds up to Feb. 13, which would be the latest Super Bowl in history.
Unresolved is the possibility of another bye week and an even later Super Bowl. Also, another clause opens up the possibility of an 18-game schedule at some point in the deal, almost assuredly turning all but on February Sunday over to the NFL.
The PGA Tour has been unwilling to move off of playoff Sundays with Hawaii’s final rounds or NFC/AFC Championship Sunday during the American Express. The events lure minuscule audiences. Saturday or Monday finishes seem obvious but have been resisted. And now that dilemma may expand by several key weeks during some of the season’s highest rated telecasts.
As for how all of this works for the networks, NBC Universal’s Mark Lazarus summed up one network perspective.
In an email to the NBC “Team” about the NFL deal, he writes:
This deal also exemplifies one of the ways that the strength and breadth of our portfolio gives us a distinct advantage over our competitors. In the short time we’ve existed as a unified group, we have already seen the collective power of our brands when we function as a unit. Individually, each of our networks and platforms may have fierce competition in the marketplace, but together, our combined portfolio provides a value proposition to creators, partners and audiences that is unparalleled.
NBC and Telemundo are powerful engines that reach mass audiences giving us broad scale that we can leverage; our cable networks have fandom like no other, providing passionate and engaged audiences; and Peacock is the home of curated live and on-demand content giving us access to new audiences that have adapted to streaming. As we work together to tap into the strengths of each element of our portfolio, we’re creating what we like to call an “infinity loop” that cycles viewers through our ecosystem, driving audiences from one platform to the next and building viewership across them all.
I’m old enough to remember the days when they said all of this in one word: synergy.
Geoff Shackelford is a Senior Writer for Golfweek magazine, a weekly contributor to Golf Channel's Morning
Copyright © 2022, Geoff Shackelford. All rights reserved.
