"Rio favela seeks to improve kids’ lives through golf"

After the relentless attention the Associated Press’ Stephen Wade gave the Olympic golf course project in Rio—none of it positive—it’s nice to see the same news organization covering a golf-related game grower in Rio who has created the “City of Golf” training ground.

From Diarlei Rodrigues' and Mauricio Savarese’s story about Marcelo Modesto.

A caddie for four decades, the 54-year-old Modesto has opened a golf training center in the most violent area of the favela. Without public or private funding, from just a sheer passion for the sport, Modesto has attracted 100 kids to the ground in hope of starting some on the path to becoming professionals, or doing something to get off the favela streets.

The City of God golf training ground is part of a program that hopes to develop children from one of Brazil’s most violent favelas into budding golfers who are invited to use the course from the Rio Olympic Games in 2016.

Their introduction to golf is rudimentary, at best.

The City of God training ground is only 1,600 square feet (150 square meters), which is less than the size of your average putting green. A community center once filled the site. Interested kids, who are mostly Black, play with donated clubs and balls. Instead of holes, they hit buckets. As a warmup, they swing wooden sticks around their backs.

And no matter how intense practice gets, they remain alert for any sound of gunshots.

R.I.P. Kaye Kessler

Longtime sports writer Kaye Kessler, who met and covered the career of Jack Nicklaus earlier than anyone, has passed away eleven days shy of his 99th birthday.

Four years ago Gary Van Sickle filed this lovely look at the life of Kaye Kessler who, besides witnessing the rise of Nicklaus and 56 Masters tournaments, also covered Ohio State’s Woody Hayes and Fred Taylor.

So is Kaye Kessler. His life’s course was irreparably altered in 1950 when Scioto Country Club hired a new golf professional, Jack Grout, and Kessler was sent over to write a story about him for his paper, the Columbus Citizen. The paper’s photographer needed a photo so Grout posed with a posse of Scioto junior golfers. One was a 10-year-old named Nicklaus.

Fox News: "Titleist blocks customers from personalizing golf balls with 'Let's Go Brandon'"

And they wonder why Chris Wallace took a job at CNN+?

Fox News’ Andrew Mark Miller appears to have worked hard to test out Titleist’s golf ball personalization censors after an enraged customer was rejected over a “Lets Go Brandon” request. The phrase became one of the more pathetic dimwit dogwhistles of this or any generation.

When Fox News Digital attempted to personalize a Titleist Pro V1 ball on the company’s website with the phrase "Let’s Go Brandon", an error message said, "Sorry, one or more of the words you have chosen cannot be used. Please see our Terms and Conditions to learn more about what we will imprint."

On the website, part of those Terms and Conditions reads, "Acushnet Company reserves the right to reject orders for imprints on our products that may, in our sole discretion, be inconsistent with our company values or brand identity, including, but not limited to logos, designs and/or personalizations that are negative in nature, advocate violence or illegal activity, or are slurs, hateful, threatening, libelous, defamatory, vulgar, obscene or pornographic."

It is unclear which of those categories the phrase "Let’s Go Brandon" violated.

Miller goes on to share the vulgar messages he tested and did not get the same error message. Some of them are not pleasant. Still, it’s fascinating to see Fox News upset over Titleist reserving their rights as a corporation to not sell a product.

And besides, all is right with the world. The customization feature allowed me to create some important messaging:

Wally, before you get upset: I’m just combating juvenile humor with juvenile humor. That’s all! We know they’re too scared to roll it back.

Greg Norman Hosts His 33rd Shootout But It Was Kinda Hard To Tell!

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Going through the Instagram photos someone uploaded for him, the impression is one of a busy week for Greg Norman at the tournament he’s hosted since 1989. He even earned his keep this year by playing the pro-am and dropping a lot C-Suite references during a pre-tournament press conference.

And yet if you were watching the Golf Channel and NBC telecasts for this year’s QBE Shootout, Norman’s name was rarely mentioned. The CEO of QBE didn’t give the Shark a nod in the telecast opening while doing his best Joe Ford impersonation. Even Norman’s role as Tiburon course architect seemed rarely mentioned. (But we did learn that Naples, Florida got its name because of a resemblance to Italy’s Naples.)

But since Greg Norman is a such a hero in the eyes of today’s youth, at least he got plenty of mentions on the PGA Tour Twitt…wait, what? None? All week?

Not even the traditional pic with the winners? Since Norman’s not much of a presence on the tournament website, that might be asking too much.

Surely there was the all important in-booth visit with NBC/Golf Channel’s Steve Sands and Curt Byrum? You know, to talk about Greg’s favorite subject? No sirree.

The Shark was finally seen on the telecast Sunday when he greeted the champions in the most masculine way possible. But who wouldn’t be elated when Kevin Na and Jason Kokrak win your tournament?

I should note that there was no announcer mention along the lines of, “There is tournament host Norman to greet the champions, a great tradition here at the QBE Shootout.”

For all we know, this was just jacked Florida retiree who paid $150 for a Norman Collection uniform and fulfilled a lifelong dream of working as Kevin Na’s final round standard bearer.

You know, maybe the problem is Norman’s role as CEO of LIV Investments fronting Saudi Arabia’s deep desire to grow the game and disrupt the PGA Tour’s business? It’s almost as if some are not too happy with the Shark!

But at least the week ended with nice wire story about Greg Jr.’s wedding to Michelle Thomson. Except for this mistake…

George Peper's "Rant Against Golden Age Golf Architects"

Links editor George Peper filed “A Rant Against Golden Age Golf Architects” in the latest issue and while I suppose a backlash was inevitable, he also makes a few points that warrant a Golden Age defense.

The old architects are certainly getting a lot of ink these days and no matter how many old photos we turn up showing their courses were just better, there will be a subset that just wants to be living in a better time. And another subset that needs to be living in a better time for their self worth.

But in making his case, Peper ignores when key trait of the restoration movement results and deification of the old architects. First, this attempt at suggesting they are overrated:

If, as one of today’s leading designers Tom Doak has astutely observed, “the best architects are the ones who get the best clients,” then maybe the individuals we should be venerating are not the Golden Age designers but the Golden Age owner/developers, the gentlemen golfers with deep pockets and a simple, steadfast vision that began and ended with the creation of an outstanding golf course: Dick Tufts (Pinehurst No. 2) rather than Ross; Clifford Roberts (Augusta National) rather than MacKenzie; George Crump (Pine Valley) rather than Colt; Robert Moses (Bethpage Black) rather than Tillinghast.

With the exception of Crump, the architects were the difference between having a nice development and a masterpiece. Though Crump famously relied on many opinions besides Colt’s and the overall collaborative nature ended up spawning several successful design careers.

In Roberts’ case, he attempted to redo MacKenzie’s 8th green and turned it into a flying saucer that was rebuilt a short time later. If not for Bobby Jones and Alister MacKenzie, the Augusta National would not have been the success it was. (And contrary to the prevailing narrative MacKenzie spent a great deal of time at Augusta during key stages of construction. Which we know from David Owen’s book.)

The truth is, the early golf architects were not particularly revered or famous during their own lifetimes or for decades thereafter. Indeed, as recently as 50 years ago, if you had asked a member of just about any club in the world who the designer of his golf course was, he would have been hard pressed to tell you.

Not sure about the lack of fame part. Having flipped through thousands of magazine pages from the era, the household name designers were covered pretty thoroughly, featured prominently and praised for their work transforming rudimentary courses. And fame does not translate to timeless design, as Rees Jones and Tom Fazio prove over and over again.

Suddenly, belonging to a club with a course designed by an A-list Golden Ager became a badge of honor. More than one layout of 6,500 theretofore nondescript yards rebranded itself overnight as “a great old Donald Ross course” and a coterie of insufferable poseurs arose, boasting of their familiarity with MacKenzie bunkers, Macdonald templates, and Raynor greens. I know this because I did some of that boasting. Let this be my mea culpa: “I’m George and I’m an archaholic.”

Name dropping has always been part of the elite golf world. The difference now? After playing a course people can tell the difference and like any other kind of connoisseurship, seek more because of the satisfaction derived.

I guess what got me riled about this Golden Age regurgitation is the pretentiousness it’s fostered in some circles.

Except that successful restorations have led to more enjoyable golf, newfound respect for a course, increased value of memberships or land, interest in reclaiming once-grand public courses, and an appreciation of architecture that is fun to play merely serving to move lots or punish bad shots.

While the occasional pontificating that comes with the Golden Age reverence may not be progress to all, I’ll take the doses of pretentiousness if it means more people are enjoying the courses they play. After all, that is ultimately the point of good architecture and something that the old masters and their restorers keep reinforcing.

The Fried Egg On America Great Remaining Golf Course Restoration Opportunities

A split screen of Riviera’s 6th with Tommy Naccarato’s proposed restoration of bunkers and barranca next to today’s lamentable eclair bunker tongue and permanent temporary green.

I can’t find a thing to quibble with most of Andy Johnson’s list of great restoration opportunities, though I have no idea how World Woods got in there. But setting aside an unnecessary rejuvenation of yet another overrated Fazio, Johnson’s top ten includes the last three courses the aforementioned salesman is consulting at and making worse, along with other gems. Sadly, my man George Thomas lands three in the top 15 and southern California remains a hotbed for necessary restorations.

The list does not include courses were a restoration plan is at some stage and hope remains for a happy architectural ending.

The top ten: Augusta, Riviera, Pebble Beach, TPC Sawgrass, Ojai Valley Inn, U. of Michigan, George Wright, Kankakee Elks, Timber Point, Sleepy Hollow (Ohio).

He also includes important public courses Griffith Park, Santa Anita and Sharp Park.

Today In Saudi Golf: Norman Rides His C-Suite Horse, GMac Not Happy His Release Request Went Public

Greg Norman (artist’s rendition)

Greg Hardwig reports from this week’s QBE Shootout on the latest related to Saudi Arabia’s attempted takeover of the pro game after Greg Norman spoke to assembled media. The LIV Golf Investments operation running the potential Saudi Golf League had named a new COO Thursday: Atul Khosla, who has bee the chief corporate development and brand officer for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

This gave the Shirtless Shark a chance to ride “C-suite” as only he could.

“Our C-suite (or major executive team) has been very, very special to say the least, and it’s a testament to our business model, it’s a testament to our commitment to the game of golf and our C-suite, which is deep and very experienced not only in sport, team sport, not only in business, but right across the board,” Norman said. “Our C-suite starting in London to where we’re going to be in West Palm Beach is solid. Really, it is a commitment by them of, like I said, believing in the product, believing in the business model and believing in the players.”

Three C-suites in so little time. Oh but why quit there?

“‘I’m very, very passionate about that,” he said. “I’m not going to lose focus on that at all. I stay finely tuned with my C-suite people on the same thing about our future and about how we want to get to certain milestones in our life and obviously for our investor.

“They’ve invested for a reason, they invest for a reason because they see golf and sport as an asset class now and you’ll see it all around the world, whether it’s in IPL cricket or whether it’s even the NFL, NBA, NHL, you see it in all different leagues, people invested in sport in general.”

Meanwhile Graeme McDowell suggested he was displeased at seeing his name “plastered all over the media like I’m a bad guy” for being one of eight listed as asking the PGA Tour for a Saudi International release. His interest was first revealed by Golfweek and McDowell was subsequently revealed as part of the tournament field list while his photo is used in the official tournament masthead.

“I’m on the list of guys that were given permission to ask for a release, and then it gets plastered all over the media like I’m a bad guy; I’m just doing what I was told to do, which was ask for a release,” he said. “Listen, it’s really up to Jay Monahan, however Jay wants us to handle the situation. I’m just going to wait and find out what Jay wants. First and foremost, I’m a PGA Tour player until further notice. That’s the bottom line.”

The Saudi International is scheduled to go up against the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am where many C-suite types turn up every year.

Major(s) News & Notes December 9th, 2021

This week’s edition looks at how USGA Presidency history was made this week, twice.

Plus, year-end OWGR adds 10 to The Masters, Pine Needles may see Annika, a Congressional Blue short film to whet your appetite for upcoming majors, another jargon-filled doozy of a press release and some Reads.

If you’re not signed up for free or as a paid subscriber, you can do so here.

Bubba On Saudi: See If You Can Guess How Long Before He Mentions Growing The Game

If you had took the over—50 words—you’re a winner.

It took Bubba Watson 51 before he dropped a “grow the game” to rationalize his hopes of a PGA Tour release to the Saudi International. Quite a contrast to Lewis Hamilton’s stance before the recent Saudi F1 race.

Speaking before this week’s QBE Shootout:

Q. Just your thoughts on you're on the list for the Saudi Arabia tournament and obviously a lot of players are just waiting to see what happens or what the Tour says. How are you approaching that part of it?

BUBBA WATSON: Yeah, it's one of those things where I love to travel and I wanted to travel somewhere else.

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL

And Saudi Arabia, they're trying to change.

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL

They started with women's golf, started supporting the women's golf and then they started supporting men's golf. There's women's tournaments already that they sponsor. Trying to grow the game.

ROFLROFLROFLROFLROFL

They're trying to change industry over there, bring golf, bring tourism to Saudi Arabia with the beautiful beaches that they already have.

ROFLROFLROFLROFLROFL

It will be interesting to go over there and play, but also see the beauty of other parts of the world that God's created. I can't wait to get over there.

Okay this is not funny now. Someone needs to convey to Mr. Bubba that in the eyes of those paying him lavishly to come see their country, his God did not create those beautiful beaches. And they don’t really like his God. At all.

Hopefully the Tour lets us go. Again, you know, the charity dollars is what's most important, so the more money I can get in my hands, the more I can give away. So it's an honor and a privilege if they let me go over there and play.

BINGO!

We got a grow the game, God and charity.

Maybe, Yes Sir! Tiger Woods To Play 2021 PNC Championship

Given what we know of his accident and the relatively short healing time since then, it’s amazing to see this. But he’s obviously feeling good and undoubtedly has the approval of his doctors. Should be fun:

TIGER WOODS TO PLAY 2021 PNC CHAMPIONSHIP

ORLANDO, Dec. 8, 2021 - Tiger Woods has confirmed he will return to competitive golf next week at the 2021 PNC Championship, taking place at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club Orlando, Grande Lakes, Dec. 16-19.

Woods will partner with his son Charlie as they return to the PNC Championship for a second time, having finished tied for seventh place in 2020.

Woods commented, “Although it’s been a long and challenging year, I am very excited to close it out by competing in the PNC Championship with my son Charlie. I’m playing as a Dad and couldn’t be more excited and proud.”

IMG’s Alastair Johnston, the executive chairman of the tournament added, “I am delighted to confirm that Tiger and Charlie Woods will be participating in the 2021 PNC Championship. We have been liaising with Tiger and his team for some time and are delighted that he has now decided to make his return to competitive golf at the PNC Championship.”

The 20-player final field for the 2021 PNC Championship is: 

Pro

Bubba Watson Wayne Ball

David Duval Brady Duval

Gary Player Jordan Player

Henrik Stenson Karl Stenson

Jim Furyk Tanner Furyk

John Daly Little John Daly

Justin Thomas Mike Thomas

Lee Trevino Daniel Trevino

Mark O’Meara Shaun O’Meara

Matt Kuchar Cameron Kuchar

Nelly Korda Petr Korda

Nick Faldo Matthew Faldo

Nick Price Greg Price

Padraig Harrington Paddy Harrington

Rich Beem Michael Beem

Stewart Cink Reagan Cink

Tom Lehman Sean Lehman

Tom Watson Michael Watson

Tiger Woods Charlie Woods

Vijay Singh Qass Singh

The tournament, which will be broadcast live on NBC, attracts major champions whose victories this year span from 1959 to 2021, and last year, saw a field gather that had won a remarkable 67 Major titles. With only 20 teams in the field, players past and present have shown unprecedented interest in campaigning for a spot in the star-studded line-up.

Since the inaugural tournament in 1995, when 10 major winners gathered with their sons, the PNC Championship has continued to evolve and develop. It now features 20 major champions and their relatives competing for the total purse of $1,085,000 in a two-day, 36-hole scramble for the Willie Park Trophy. The 2020 edition was won by Justin Thomas and his father, Mike.

The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. has been the title sponsor of the tournament since 2012.  The event formerly known as the PNC Father/Son Challenge, was renamed the PNC Championship in 2020 to reflect the high level of competition and field composition, while still celebrating an inclusive family event that showcases the special bonds that the love of golf creates. 

To qualify for the PNC Championship, players must have won a major championship or The Players Championship. Their partner must not hold a PGA TOUR card. 

The PNC Championship is operated in partnership by IMG and NBC Sports. 

Cookie Jar Captures Royal County Down

The Cookie Jar gang took their drone to Royal County Down Golf Club which was made for drone shots. Shockingly, they were there on a crude looking day which only adds to the beauty. Enjoy!

Actual Grow The Game Files: Notah Begay Junior Golf National Championship On Golf Channel

Tune in tomorrow on @golfchannel from 7:00 - 9:00pm EST to find out how YOU can have your full 2022 tournament schedule paid for by us! There is a clue to win, during the show! Don’t miss out! #jgnc #seeyouatcoushatta @CoushattaResort @koasatipinesccr @JuniorGolfHub @GOLFTEC pic.twitter.com/v1cDyCDTdQ

— Notah Begay III Junior Golf National Championship (@nb3jgnc) December 7, 2021

While a lot of Tour pros think they are growing the game by their mere presence in exotic dictatorships where public beheadings are a thing, others are actually trying to grow the game.

On Wednesday December 8th from 7-9 p.m. ET, Golf Channel airs the Notah Begay Junior Golf National Championship. It’s the culmination of a two-stage, 30 regional effort to reach the finals. Named after and started by the former Tour player and NBC analyst along with former Golf Channel colleague Ryan Burr, who will be part of ESPN+’s PGA Tour Live Coverage team in 2022.

Burr’s son is an accomplished junior golfer and like many exposed to that world, wondered if there was a better way to help kids get tournament experience and seen by coaches without some of the AJGA’s excess. He pitched the concept to Begay who has long given back to various causes, including junior golf.

This will be the second time the event airs on television and gives some older juniors a chance to shine. Last year Lance Christensen got some attention with a 357 yard drive and ended up getting a golf scholarship to New Mexico State.

The National Championship played 54-holes with four divisions: Boys 14-18, Boys 13 & Under, Girls 14-18 and Girls 13 & Under. 

More impressive is the encouragement of participation by kids and the promise to pick up entry fees if they can’t afford it. They are also offering a giveaway of free entry fees for the entire Begay Junior Golf Tour schedule for the lucky kid who answers a trivia question. Nice work guys.

Ratings: The Match Up A Bit When Factoring In Channels You've Never Heard Of; World Challenge Down

Combined TNT/TBS rating for The Match w/ @BKoepka & @b_dechambeau drew a combined TNT/TBS .46 with a 916k avg and an impressive-by-golf-standards 373,000 average for the non-AARP demo. 2020’s edition w/@PhilMickelson @StephenCurry30, Manning, Barkley: .60/1.02 million/343k

— Geoff Shackelford (@GeoffShac) December 1, 2021

All the numbers are in from the various places The Match V aired—including NHLN and the dreaded TruTV we only use in March—and Brooks Koepka against Bryson DeChambeau did more than fine.

According to Paulsen at Sports Media Watch, the final tally across all platforms gave them an increase in viewership...

— averaged 1.2 million viewers across TBS, TNT, TruTV and NHLN, up 13% from last year’s Black Friday edition (1.0M). Compared to the previous edition of “The Match” in July, viewership fell 29% from 1.7 million.

The July Match is a different beast due to the pandemic, but the increase over Phil Mickelson with Curry, Manning and Barkley is a win for Turner.

Meanwhile the 2021 Hero World Challenge included Tiger Woods booth visits and less-than-subtle range sessions, but no on course play as was the case in 2019. This translated to declines, especially with the coveted-demo. I blame the lack of Live Under Par messaging.

From Showbuzzdaily, the 2021 Hero’s .59/955k/183k vs. its last playing in 2019 drawing .91/1.3 million/254k:

Significant Augusta National Design Artifact Up For Auction

The Golf Auction is offering this rendering with MacKenzie commentary.

An early Amen Corner rendering features Alister MacKenzie's handwritten notes and is up for auction.

Here is the listing at The Golf Auction.

Readers who have committed my Golden Age of Golf Design to memory will recognize the plan from page 163. For reasons I don’t recall and apologize in advance for, we did not include a similar rendering of the fifth hole that appeared with the auction item.

In this Quadrilateral post, I explore its authenticity given efforts in recent years to fraudulently pass of MacKenzie and Tillinghast drawings, plus consider its importance in the small world of great architectural renderings.

More Details About PGA Tour Live On ESPN+: 4300 Hours, 15-Person Announce Team And Continued Coverage During Network Windows

As the new year and new TV deal are close, the PGA Tour and ESPN+ are rolling out more details of their ambitious coverage plans.

Standout elements of this figure to be Featured Hole coverage (assuming the right holes are selected), the early “Main Feed” essentially providing a traditional broadcast prior to Golf Channel’s coverage, the Marquee Group and the continuation of Featured Groups (depending on the groups) when the Golf Channel, NBC and CBS take over.

Whether ESPN influences any of this or some experimental efforts ala Peyton and Eli, remains to be seen. But at $6.99 a month, plus access to ESPN+’s Masters and PGA Championship feeds, along with +’s other offerings, it’s a steal for fans.

TOUR, ESPN+ Announce Details of Expanded and Extended Coverage Beginning in January 

PGA TOUR LIVE on ESPN+ set to launch January 2022

Four new streaming feeds more than triples live coverage 

to more than 4,300 exclusive hours

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FLORIDA – ESPN+ and PGA TOUR announced details for the inaugural season of PGA TOUR LIVE on ESPN+, with extended and expanded coverage that more than triples the total coverage – adding more than 3,200 new hours of live streaming available for a total of more than 4,300 exclusive hours. All PGA TOUR LIVE on ESPN+ coverage will be available to ESPN+’s more than 17.1 million subscribers.

In 2022, PGA TOUR LIVE on ESPN+ will include live coverage of 35 tournaments – from the TOUR’s Hawaii events in January all the way through the FedExCup Playoffs and into the fall – with at least 28 events having four full days of coverage and four simultaneous live feeds each day. 

“The start of the PGA TOUR in 2022 will tee off a new and exciting opportunity for fans to watch the best golfers in the world,” said Burke Magnus, President, Programming and Original Entertainment, ESPN. “The new and expanded PGA TOUR LIVE on ESPN+ is an incredible offering for golf fans – with more than three times the coverage from last season, while also bringing them access to thousands of other sporting events and original programming, all for $6.99 per month.”

With the launch of PGA TOUR LIVE on ESPN+ comes new streaming feeds that will bring expanded coverage of events totaling more than 4,300 exclusive hours. Beginning with The American Express (January 20-23, 2022), PGA TOUR LIVE on ESPN+ will offer fans four live feeds for each tournament: 

• Main Feed: primary tournament-coverage featuring the best action from across the course;

• Marquee Group: new “marquee group” showcasing every shot from each player in the group;

• Featured Groups: traditional PGA TOUR LIVE coverage of two concurrent featured groups;

• Featured Holes: a combination of par-3s and iconic or pivotal holes.

When network television coverage begins, the four streams will pivot to two featured groups and two featured holes so fans can continue to engage with PGA TOUR LIVE on ESPN+ in addition to the telecast.

Rick Anderson, Chief Media Officer, PGA TOUR said, “The PGA TOUR couldn’t be more excited to launch a new era in content delivery with Disney and ESPN+, which will greatly expand and diversify our audience reach. There will be more content available to our fans than ever before with an exciting and diverse group of on-air talent delivering the action.

This expanded, unprecedented coverage, with over-the-top (OTT) streaming and emerging technologies moving to ESPN+, is part of the TOUR’s new nine-year domestic media rights portfolio announced in March 2020. 

The weekly production crew behind PGA TOUR LIVE on ESPN+ will increase from approximately 85 people to more than 210, with 16 cameras on the course, and a 15-person talent crew calling the action across the four channels. The expanded talent roster is still being finalized and will include current studio hosts John Swantek, Jonathan Coachman, Lisa Cornwell and Ned Michaels and on-course analysts Christina Kim, Karen Stupples, Mark Immelman, Chantel McCabe, Mark Wilson, Stuart Appleby and Michael Collins.

“We are excited about the growth of PGA TOUR LIVE and the opportunity to reach a larger audience on ESPN+,” said PGA TOUR Vice President and Executive Producer Greg Hopfe. “Four separately produced streams will showcase more action than ever before from top players and fan-favorite holes at each tournament. We look forward to being able to share nearly every shot from golf fans’ favorite players on ESPN+.”

PGA TOUR LIVE on ESPN+ will cover both early January Hawaii events – Sentry Tournament of Champions and Sony Open in Hawaii – for the first time with Featured Groups coverage in the mornings, followed by Featured Holes in the afternoons. 

The complete four feed PGA TOUR LIVE on ESPN+ offering will begin at The American Express. For more information, please visit frequently asked questions about PGA TOUR LIVE.    

PGA TOUR LIVE originally launched in 2015. ESPN+, launched in 2018, has grown to reach 17.1 million subscribers. The combined PGA TOUR LIVE on ESPN+ will provide significant growth opportunities for PGA TOUR content via ESPN+’s digital reach, innovative platform and young and diverse audiences.  

PGA TOUR LIVE will be part of any ESPN+ subscription, at no additional cost, alongside more than 15,000 other live sporting events, acclaimed studio programs, original series and documentaries and a library of other on demand programming.

Golf programming on ESPN+ also includes The Masters (115 hours of live coverage, plus 50 hours of The Masters Films from 1960-2020), The PGA Championship (200 hours of live coverage, plus 30 hours of library and classic programming), as well as the original series America’s Caddie with Michael Collins, which will return in 2022 with new episodes throughout the PGA TOUR season. 

ESPN+ is available through the ESPN App (mobile and connected devices), ESPN.com or ESPNplus.com for just $6.99/month or $69.99/year. It is also part of The Disney Bundle, a one-stop streaming subscription offer that gives customers access to Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+ for $13.99/month.