Mark ESPN’s Second-Round Masters Coverage a Bogey
By Jason Branch
JACK OF ALL SPORTS
So I tuned in Friday afternoon in hopes of catching some of the second-round Masters action.
Like many fans, I like watching golf occasionally on TV, even though I personally am very lousy at the game and always get my money’s worth in greens fees, seeing far more of the course and taking more shots than anyone in my playing group. And like many fans these days, I will only take a sincere interest in a given golf tournament if there is a great story to be followed. Or if a character is involved (e.g. John Daly — I’m extremely disappointed in you for what you tried to pull at the Augusta parking lot Thursday, but for some reason, not surprised at your latest off-course antic). Or if a top player like Tiger Woods is in contention (I’ll watch if Mickelson is in contention as well, but with a lot less interest because his track record is shaky in justifying tuning in for all four hours of Sunday coverage to see him hold a lead).
With that, I direct your attention to the aforementioned Tiger Woods, the No. 1 player in world, fresh off of a win at Bay Hill after an eight-month layoff for knee surgery, and seeking his fifth green jacket this week. Need I say more? Apparently I do, judging by what went on at ESPN, which had exclusive live TV coverage of the first and second rounds this week.
When I tuned in for the start of ESPN’s second-round coverage at 1:00 p.m. PST, I saw Tiger Woods tee-off. Great timing right? Only one problem: Tiger had already finished 17 holes and was teeing off at the 18th! Everyone knows who Tiger Woods is, even my Mom — who knows absolutely nothing about sports. He is the one player even the most casual of sports fans may tune in to watch. Especially if it’s the Masters, the most prestigious golf tournament in the United States, if not the world (many will claim the British Open deserves this title, and I will not take up that argument at this time).
I was, and still am as I write this article/rant, enraged that Tiger Woods got virtually no TV coverage on ESPN, the “Worldwide Leader in Sports,” during its coverage of the Masters. Sure, it was only the second round, but if a network has exclusive coverage of an event of this magnitude, how could it not show the top-ranked, most popular player in the game? I am realistic and understand ESPN has a certain schedule of programs it normally shows in the morning/early afternoon slot, but not altering the schedule to show Tiger Woods? To me, that makes no sense from a business/ratings standpoint, and cheats viewers who, like me, tuned in primarily to see Tiger Woods.
Heck, even without coverage of Tiger Woods, I may have stuck around to watch a few holes of the early round’s leaders. But the day-one leader, Chad Campbell, was already in with a 70. Kenny Perry, who fired a 67 to draw even with Campbell at 9-under, also was M.I.A. by the time ESPN picked up coverage. Disgusted, I changed the channel to something else and was so infuriated that I promptly got started on my article.
Now I can’t speak for Thursday, but Friday was nothing short of an abomination for TV coverage of the Masters. The worst part was that ESPN’s live coverage was exclusive, so my periodic tuning into the Golf Channel prior to 1:00 was only good enough to watch some taking heads and an occasional highlight. The lone hole viewers got to see Tiger play live on Friday was a disappointment: a bogey on the Par-4 18th set up by a poor second shot into the sand.
That bogey I saw Tiger get is the precise score I would put on ESPN’s scorecard for its Friday “coverage” of the Masters.