Blair O’Neal was part of the cast of The Big Break Dominican Republic, the 14th season of the series. It’s playing on Golf Channel today.
Blair O’Neal is hoping to get a little reminiscing in this Monday, as she sits on the couch and watches herself on the Golf Channel’s “Big Break Mondays.”
But the former Arizona State star and host of the Golf Channel’s “School of Golf” has her hands full these days with another project — she welcomed her first child on April 7 when Chrome Andy Keiser was born. Chrome weighed in at just over eight pounds.
“It’s wild. This little 8-pound being is ruling every move that I make now. He’s the new boss in town. But it’s so fun,” O’Neal said from her Arizona home during Monday’s Morning Drive on the Golf Channel. “We’re still learning every day. He is the cutest, sweetest little thing.”
O’Neal was part of the cast of The Big Break Dominican Republic, which marked the 14th season of the series. It initially aired back in 2010, and featured a reunion cast of a dozen former Big Break competitors.
All 10 episodes of the season will air today until 6 p.m. ET, and the final two episodes will re-air from 9-11 p.m. ET.
“It’s going to be so much fun to watch. I’m a little biased, but I think this season was such a great season overall. There was a lot of great golf,” O’Neal said. “The cast of characters; everybody brought something to the table. This show really was my big break in my career.
“It opened up a lot of doors for me.”
Big Break Mondays continue today with an encore presentation of Big Break Dominican Republic.
So what will O’Neal be watching for, since she lived through the experience?
“One (thing) I’m looking forward to are some Brian-isms, from Brian Skatell,” O’Neal said. “I feel like he was a little bit ahead of his time with the reality TV world. He definitely made for some good TV.”
The world’s current No. 1 player fired a two-under 70 in the final round at TPC Sawgrass, ending the tournament a stroke ahead of Jim Furyk.
The string of champions walking us through rebroadcasts of their victories continues this week with another doozie — Rory McIlroy will provide commentary as Golf Channel airs his win at the 2019 Players Championship.
The event will air Tuesday on Golf Channel as part of a simulcast with Sky Sports and will include McIlroy taking part in a live feed through the closing stretch of his win. The entire final round will be aired, starting at 1 p.m. ET, while McIlroy will join the broadcast at 4:30 p.m. ET.
McIlroy fired a two-under 70 in the final round at TPC Sawgrass, finishing the tournament a stroke ahead of Jim Furyk for his first Players crown.
The world’s current No. 1 player will be joined by Golf Channel’s Brandel Chamblee and Sky Sports’ Nick Dougherty on the broadcast.
Fans can take part, using the Twitter tag #WatchalongWithRory, and Chamblee and Dougherty will be among those offering commentary and answering viewers questions before McIlroy joins in.
This course may be home for next month’s charity golf match between Tiger Woods-Peyton Manning vs. Phil Mickelson-Tom Brady.
The Medalist in Hobe Sound, Florida, is home to many of the world’s top golfers.
It also may be home for next month’s charity golf match between Tiger Woods-Peyton Manning vs. Phil Mickelson-Tom Brady.
A Medalist member confirmed Friday the Hobe Sound-based course has been approached by event organizers about hosting the event, probably on Memorial Day weekend (May 24). Turner Sports will air “The Match: Champions for Charity” on TNT.
The Medalist makes sense. Woods, a Jupiter Island resident, is among the many superstars who are members at the club co-founded by Greg Norman in 1991. Brady recently joined nearby Seminole Golf Club and Mickelson is moving to Jupiter Island this year.
Plus, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said he would support the event being held as the state starts its long recovery from the coronavirus pandemic
The sticking point may be money. The Medalist, unlike most private courses, doesn’t need the exposure; nor are its members willing to pay the TV rights to host The Match.
The member said the club has been approached to gauge interest and availability.
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Seminole would have been another option – it hosts next year’s Walker Cup between amateur teams from the U.S. and Great Britain-Ireland – but the Donald Ross-designed course in Juno Beach closed early three weeks ago because of COVID-19.
Event organizers Excel Sports Management and Lagardere Universal, which represent Woods and Mickelson, respectively, are working with state and local government and health officials to ensure the match follows safety and health protocols. DeSantis has allowed Florida’s golf courses to remain open during the pandemic and he recently also allowed WWE to start taping its wrestling shows near Orlando that are shown throughout the country.
“I’d like to see Woods and Mickelson do the golf because that’s social distance,” DeSantis said last week. “You wouldn’t have a gallery there. To put that on TV, I think people have been starved for content.”
And professional athletes are starved for competition. Woods hasn’t played since the final round of the Genesis Invitational on Feb. 16. Woods discussed the match Thursday during a Golf Digest video.
“There has been a little bit of trash talk already, a little bit of banter back and forth,” Woods said. “Whether it’s, ‘I might need extra caddies to carry my Super Bowls,’ because [Brady] has more Super Bowls than my partner [Manning]. Or, ‘I’ve got more majors than Phil, so I’m gonna have to have a truck come up to the first tee and U-Haul it out.’
“We’ve had banter back and forth, and it’s been fantastic. We like to give out the needle, and to give out the needle you gotta be able to take it. It’s been fun, and it’ll be like that when we play, when we compete. There will be banter back and forth, but it won’t be as rough as what we have in our text exchange.”
Unlike the match Woods and Mickelson played in two years ago, which featured a $9 million winner-take-all purse, all proceeds from next month’s event will benefit various charities helping those impacted by the pandemic.
The event two years ago was supposed to be a pay-for-pay event, but after technical issues, the fee was waived. There would be no fee for this match, which would be the first “live” sports event in the U.S. in more than six weeks.
“It’s on now,” Mickelson tweeted this week. “After feeling the sting of defeat the first time around, looks like Tiger Woods is bringing a ringer to the match (Manning). I’m bringing a GOAT (Brady). Ready to hit bombs?”
After feeling the sting of defeat the first time around, Looks like @TigerWoods is bringing a ringer to The Match (#PeytonManning).
The foursome has combined to win 23 majors, 126 PGA Tour events, eight Super Bowls and eight NFL Most Valuable Player awards.
The PGA Tour has announced plans to resume holding tournaments – without fans – on June 11 in Texas. The Tour, which stopped holding events March 12 after the first round of The Players, has yet to sign off on the Match, as required, but that’s not expected to be an issue.
The issue, as far as Medalist is concerned, is whether organizers want a TV rights fee from the host course. That’s not likely to happen.
Confirming previous speculation, Tiger Woods said he’ll play with Peyton Manning while Mickelson will be joined by Tom Brady
It’s never been tough for Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson to get their competitive juices flowing. Throw a pair of the NFL’s most driven quarterbacks into the mix and it’s not surprising that the chatter about the upcoming made-for-TV team showdown has started in earnest.
Confirming previous speculation, Tiger Woods told Golf Digest that he will indeed be partnering with Peyton Manning in the event while Mickelson will be joined by new Tampa Bay quarterback Tom Brady.
Woods said the addition of Manning and Brady has ramped up the level of chirping.
“There has been a little bit of trash talk already, a little bit of banter back and forth,” Woods told Golf Digest. “Whether it’s ‘I might need extra caddies to carry my Super Bowls,’ because he has more Super Bowls than my partner. Or, ‘I’ve got more majors than Phil, so I’m gonna have to have a truck come up to the first tee and U-Haul it out.
“We’ve had banter back and forth, and it’s been fantastic. But it’s typical us, it’s what we do. We like to give out the needle, and to give out the needle you gotta be able to take it. It’s been fun, and it’ll be like that when we play, when we compete. There will be banter back and forth, but it won’t be as rough as what we have in our text exchange.”
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Woods and Mickelson met in a $9 million duel in the Las Vegas desert back in November 2018, but the rematch will be called “The Match: Champions for Charity on TNT,” and all donations and fundraising will benefit COVID-19 relief.
According to a release from Turner Sports, Tournament organizers are working with state and local government and public health officials to ensure the event follows safety and health protocols.
Woods and Mickelson will be joined by Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, Turner Sports confirmed.
It’s official — a made-for-TV rematch between Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson will take place soon, officials from Turner Sports confirmed on Wednesday.
Woods and Mickelson met in a $9 million duel in the Las Vegas desert back in November 2018, but this time NFL quarterbacks Tom Brady and Peyton Manning will also be part of the fun.
The rematch will be called “The Match: Champions for Charity on TNT,”and will have all donations and fundraising to benefit COVID-19 relief.
According to a release from Turner Sports, Tournament organizers are working with state and local government and public health officials to ensure the event follows safety and health protocols.
The event will air be broadcast live on TNT instead of the pay-per-view format used last time the two met, but details on a specific date and venue have yet to be released.
Mickelson hauled away the $9 million by defeating Woods on the 22nd hole in the November match.
CBS’s Jim Nantz used the phrase “return to glory” to commemorate the fifth green jacket and first major for Tiger Woods in nearly 11 years.
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Editor’s note: CBS will replay the 2019 Masters from 12:30-6 p.m. Sunday.
Jim Nantz didn’t have a rehearsed phrase at the ready for Tiger Woods winning his fifth green jacket and 15th major title at last year’s Masters.
“As Tiger tried to figure out how to play his second shot at 18, Steve Milton, our director, cut to a shot of the family gathered behind the green and it triggered the thought that if he makes five and wins this thing, ‘What is that scene going to look like?’ ” Nantz recalled in a phone interview from Pebble Beach, California, where he’s been sheltered-in-home since March 19. “I drew a comparison to 2006 when he won (the British Open) at Hoylake for the first time after his father, Earl, had passed away. I thought there might be some parallels. I remembered how emotional that was for Tiger.”
But Nantz, who has been part of the broadcast team since his debut in 1986 when Jack Nicklaus at age 46 won his record sixth green jacket, still didn’t know what the narrative might be over the final putt.
“Just seeing the family on the monitor, I knew that this was going to be a moment that transcended a golf achievement; this was an achievement that was bigger than that. This was a story about a man that made it all the way back. He was on top of the world and had many things in his life go sideways, including injuries that would have marked the end of virtually anyone else’s career. Doubters by the millions. And there’s his family about to embrace him and welcome him back to a place he’d once been. The word glory surfaced in my head.”
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Nantz witnessed the way Tiger was just lurking behind 54-hole leader Francesco Molinari as they reached the back nine on Sunday, and how the script flipped as four of the last six players dunked balls into Rae’s Creek at the par-3 12th hole. As Woods plotted his way around the final stretch, making 2-putt birdies at 13 and 15 and working the slope at the par-3 16th for another birdie, Nantz felt as though he’d seen this movie before.
“You put him on Augusta, he’s playing well enough to turn it on and tap into those brilliant days of yesteryear. It wasn’t lost on me,” Nantz said. “As his ball was coming off the slope at 16, I thought it was going in. If ever there was a moment that would top what he did on that very hole in 2005 I thought that was going to be it.”
Woods had two putts for the win and when he tapped in for victory, Nantz memorialized the moment by saying simply, “The return to glory.”
Tiger Woods celebrates after making a putt on the 18th green to win The Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club. (Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports)
Said Nantz: “I meant that, yes, as a golf achievement – the glory in his game – but I meant it equally as much about the glory in his life, and wasn’t that a wonderful thing to see?”
Then Nantz went silent for more than 2 minutes.
“There was nothing else that could be said or should be said,” he explained. “If you tried to insert yourself over that you’d be making a terrible mistake. Let this visual medium with its abundance of emotional audio have its rightful spot center stage and so I got out of the way. Tiger talks about ‘the feels,’ and some people laugh at that, but in broadcasting we have ‘the feels’ too, and it just felt right at that moment. The feels at that moment was to sit back and watch and then I picked an appropriate moment to get back in with a narration.”
Nantz, who was already in Butler Cabin for the upcoming green jacket ceremony, can almost recite verbatim what he said next to broadcast partner Nick Faldo, who was still in the 18th tower.
“I said, ‘Nick, that moment with Tiger and his family, if you’re a parent and you didn’t shed a tear, you’re not human,’ ” Nantz recounted. “And Nick said, ‘Jim Nantz, I will promise you that you will never ever see a moment bigger than that in the game of golf.’ ”
Tiger Woods speaks to the media after winning the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club. (Rusty Jarrett/Augusta National/Handout Photo via USA TODAY Sports)
Nantz has one more favorite memory from that day. As a result of the tee times being pushed up to the morning to avoid storms in the forecast, Nantz contributed to a Masters replay that was shown later that day. After Tiger had wrapped up his media obligations and the various celebrations accorded to a new champion, he returned to the Butler Cabin for a second interview with CBS.
It was during this segment, after the adrenaline had worn off for Woods and it had begun to sink in what he had just achieved, that Nantz relayed the story of how Venturi stopped to give him a ride back to the CBS compound in his golf cart after Nicklaus had shot 65 to win the 1986 Masters. It had been Nantz’s first major and Venturi told the rookie announcer that he’d never see a better Masters again.
“Well, you know what?” Nantz told Tiger. “Ken Venturi was wrong.”
O’Neal, 38, started a modeling career after college. In 2010, she won the Golf Channel’s Big Break Dominican Republic and then played on the Symetra Tour for several seasons before joining the “School of Golf” show in 2015.
O’Neal is married to Jeff Keiser, who works in finance at PetSmart’s corporate headquarters in Phoenix.
CBS’s Jim Nantz knows he should’ve been broadcasting the NCAA men’s basketball title game and Masters this week, the best week of his year.
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Jim Nantz doesn’t want your pity.
He’s heard from so many people who are wondering how he is coping with not playing a vital role in how we experience March Madness and what would have been the 84th playing of the Masters this week at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia.
It would have been Nantz’s 35th straight year calling the action at the Masters. He usually goes straight from calling the NCAA men’s title game on Monday night to the grounds of Augusta, where he traditionally makes a pilgrimage to the 12th hole and has one of his “board of director meetings” and takes stock of his life.
Hoops on Monday to hosting the green jacket ceremony in Butler Cabin on Sunday evening is arguably the best back-to-back sporting event lineup a play-by-play commentator could hope to do, and it has become part of the fabric of Nantz’s life as the longtime voice of CBS Sports. But not this year due to the events being canceled – March Sadness – and postponed – what’s April without the Masters?
“This has got to be killing you, right?” I asked.
“You know what?” he said. “I’ve got perspective. So many people have it much, much worse than I do. Of course, I’m missing calling some of the games I love. As a sports fan, we all long for those days and waiting for it to get back to normal. But no one should be feeling sorry for me right now. I’m at home and surrounded by my family and we’re all healthy. We sit back and we’re much more concerned about bigger things going on in the world right now.”
Nantz, 60, had to know this question was coming, but somehow it didn’t feel like a canned answer. For one, he is a voracious reader and an astute observer of current events. He understands how the coronavirus pandemic has dug its tentacles into the world we live in and reshaped life as we know it. He’s been sheltered in place at his home in Pebble Beach, California, going for long walks where he doesn’t see another soul, past the construction at the Peter Hay Par-3 course, where Tiger Woods’ design company is re-imagining the layout, and got to share daughter Finley’s sixth birthday at home on March 14 rather than miss it while calling the action at the Big 10 Championship.
But the more we talked, the more you could hear the pain in his voice rise to the surface.
“Do I find myself going through a little bit of a time warp thinking about where I’d be at this very moment? Yes. I struggled with it hard during the NCAA Tournament, especially early, the concept of this is where I would be at this moment instead of being in the present,” he said. “I realized pretty quickly into this lockdown, which began for us on March 19, that my family needs me to be present and not being mentally somewhere I cannot be.”
Yes, Nantz wonders who would’ve had their one shining moment and what unforgettable script the golf gods had in store for us at Augusta, but he’s also convinced that this too shall pass and the games we love will return.
“We’ll see them again and it will be a wonderful and glorious thing when we can,” he said. “Right now, I’m more concerned how can we get through this, how soon can we get through this and how is our world being affected? Our hearts are heavy for those who have suffered losses.”
From practice sessions in the rain as a kid to sinking a putt on 18 to win, @PhilMickelson was gearing up for his moment at Augusta National his entire life.
“I think it will be so uplifting for people,” he said. “Just having it up there on the schedule brings us hope and that’s what we need right now.”
I joked with Nantz that if he has a conflict with calling an NFL game on Nov. 15, the re-scheduled date for Sunday’s final round of the Masters, that I’d be happy to fill in.
His voice assumed the tone of a man who wished he could reach over, put me in a headlock and give me a noogie for even proposing such a preposterous thing. His response left no doubt: “I’ll be in Augusta,” he said. “Don’t you worry.”
One day after signing a nine-year extension of its PGA Tour rights deal, McManus discusses the deal, the future of golf on TV, and much, much more.
CBS Sports Chairman Sean McManus, 65, is fresh off negotiating a nine-year extension for “the Eye” to retain its role as the primary broadcaster for network coverage of the PGA Tour. Here is an abridged version of an exclusive interview he conducted with Golfweek discussing the deal and the future of golf on TV.
Let’s start with a bit of a softball. What do you think your dad, legendary ABC Sports broadcaster Jim McKay, would make of this deal?
SEAN McMANUS: Well, he loved golf, so he would have loved the longevity of it. There wasn’t a sport that my dad enjoyed covering more than golf, that’s for sure.
Q. How do you think this deal is going to enhance the fan experience?
SM: You know, I think we’ll continue to put more facilities against the broadcast portion of the deal, but the coverage won’t look all that dramatically different than what it is now on CBS or NBC. I think the digital offerings are going to be much more robust and interesting on the ESPN+ platform, and I think we’ll continue to work with the Tour and our production team to improve coverage, obviously. But I don’t see drastic differences in the broadcast component. I think most of the new offerings will come from the digital side of the deal.
Q. How much interest did CBS have in the streaming rights that went to Disney and ESPN+?
SM: We were focused primarily on the broadcast rights, to be honest with you. That was our main priority, and the interest in the other platforms was really secondary. We did not pursue those aggressively.
Q. With Tiger cutting back, CBS certainly demonstrated a lot of confidence in the PGA Tour by investing in a nine‑year extension. With his career potentially winding down, any concerns about paying so much money for the rights?
SM: Not really. The deal didn’t anticipate Tiger being a major factor in the coming years. If he is – and listen, we hope he is, that would be terrific – but the numbers aren’t based on the “Tiger effect,” and you know I think that the way the underpinning works with the PGA Tour, they deliver between 60 and 70 percent of all the commercial inventory through the title sponsors and the FedEx contributions. We pretty much know what the majority of our revenue is going to be each and every year, and that just helps to tighten up the overall marketplace for our other category.
I think the deal is a reasonable one for us. It’s a significant increase, but it makes a lot of sense financially for both CBS and for the Tour. So we’re very happy with the finances.
Sean McManus Chairman CBS Sports Photo: John P. Filo/CBS.
Q. Do you think it was smart what the Tour did moving things up ahead of NFL contracts and negotiate first?
SM: Yeah, I’m not sure how much it related to the NFL, but I think the timing right now is good. The golf marketplace is really strong. The image of the sport and the perception of the sport is really strong. So I think the timing was good. I’m not sure how it necessarily relates to the NFL, but I think getting it done when the economy is as strong as it is, and as I said, the advertising marketplace for golf is as strong as it is, I think the timing was good that the Tour established.
Q. This week the Tour and NBC are trying to show every shot live. How far are we away from the ability to do that on a week‑to‑week basis?
SM: I think it’s pretty close. As you know, we did it extremely successfully for the first time at Augusta National, and the results and the reaction were incredibly positive. I think the Tour is committed to getting it done pretty quickly. You’d have to ask them what the exact timetable is, but I think we all understand the technology now. We all understand the value of it. So, I would think it would be part of the regular offering sooner than later, but an exact timetable would have to come from the PGA Tour.
Q. What was your initial reaction to the Tour wanting to have more of an Olympic‑style production where they’re overseeing things?
SM: I think it’s fine. You have to remember that it’s going to be our production team and our talent. So I think that obviously gives us some comfort. But I think, listen, the Tour understands that they need to work really closely with all of the media partners, so I’m very comfortable with it.
I think they’re going to take our guidance and work with us, but I think to serve as many platforms and as many different feeds as they need to, I think it probably makes sense for the Tour to have a larger role in how those feeds are gathered and how they are produced and how they are distributed around the world.
Q. You retained a lot of the traditional golf properties, plus now you’re going to be alternating years on the three-event FedExCup Playoffs with NBC. Do you think that can lead to greater prominence for the Playoffs?
SM: I think it’s a really good idea for the Playoffs. We enjoyed obviously doing the Northern Trust every year, but to have the final two events on one network and the first event on another, I think probably didn’t make a lot of sense, I think, from a promotional standpoint and a branding standpoint, having one network be able to produce and promote, more importantly, all three, I think it’s easier on the viewer. He’ll know where the events are. So I think it’s a really good idea, and to develop the story lines that you want to develop throughout the Playoffs I think is easier for one broadcaster to do than if two are involved in that storytelling and production and promotion.
Q. Will you make any efforts to encourage the Tour Championship to be played on the West Coast when you’re airing it?
SM: Hadn’t really considered that. I think it would be fine if they did. As you know, we’re airing the PGA Championship in primetime this May, so if the Tour Championship moved to the West Coast, I think we’d certainly have discussions about the possibility of doing that in primetime, and I think the West Coast has proved to be a really good venue for numerous major championships. So I would look favorably upon that, sure. We haven’t had discussions with the Tour about that specifically, but I would look upon that favorably, sure.
What is your comfort level and how soon do you think we may see more gaming and use of some of the technology and richer data to support people that are interested in the ability to bet on sports legally?
SM: Yep, I think it’s going to continue to evolve. I think you’ll see more interest in it from the viewers and from the fans. I can’t answer right now how much we’ll integrate it into the broadcast because you have to really be careful. There’s a fine line between supplying some interesting statistics and data that the viewer enjoys. There’s a fine line between that and overburdening the telecast with statistics and gambling information that people who aren’t gambling find intrusive. So I think we need to find that sweet spot on golf and in all sports.
But I think it’s only going to increase the interest in golf, and I think we need to do it in a progressive way that makes sense that doesn’t over-clutter the broadcast with meaningless information.
Q. With the extension that you just had also with Tony Romo and his contract and his growing role in the game of golf, will we occasionally see him on golf telecasts?
SM: No plans right now to have Tony involved. I think Tony wants to play golf more than commentate on golf. But no, there’s nothing in Tony’s deal that talks about him doing golf, and we actually have not had a conversation with him about that, so I would not expect to see that during the term of this deal.
Q. When you played with Jay Monahan last month at TPC Sawgrass, how did you do on the par-3 17th?
SM: I actually parred 17. I hit a shot a little bit long on the left‑hand side. The pin was not far from where it is on Sunday of the Players, and I two‑putted for my par. I must tell you, though, in full disclosure, my non‑pars outweigh my pars on 17.
Q. You’re not alone there.
SM: Yeah, exactly.
Q. What do you feel is the best thing that you were able to gain at the negotiating table in this new deal?
SM: I think protecting the important events on the CBS calendar was a really high priority of ours starting with the West Coast Swing and the other tournaments we have. We wanted to protect our position as the primary broadcast carrier for the PGA Tour. That was important. Obviously the continued support of the title sponsors and of FedEx underpinning were important for us. So those were really the two main priorities. From the time we go off the air at the Final Four until the time we come back on with college football and NFL football, PGA Tour golf and the Masters and the PGA Championship, that’s our primary programming staple, the sport of golf, and the PGA Tour obviously is an incredibly important part of that. So it was really important that we kept the same number of events and the same quality of events that we were able to maintain with the Tour.
Q. Nine years, is that a number that you were pushing for or more the Tour pushing for?
SM: You know, it really came from the Tour. We had said to them, the longer the deal, the better it is for us. And the Tour thought that nine years made sense. We obviously have two more years on the current deal. If they had wanted to go longer, we would certainly have gone longer, but I think nine, with the way the media landscape is changing almost on a daily basis, I think nine years is a good compromise between something even longer and something shorter because no one really knows what’s going to happen to the media landscape in the next 10, 11 years.
The good news is we work closely enough with the Tour, now increasingly more so on production, increasingly more so on sponsorship sales, increasingly more so on promotion, increasingly more so on distribution, that I’m comfortable that there are enough elements in the new deal that protect any new technology that might come along, and a lot of that pertains to the deal they did with ESPN+, a lot of it deals with the auxiliary feeds that we’re doing like the featured groups and the featured holes. So it’s a long‑term deal which gives us security, but I know the Tour is also intent on making sure that we and the other partners really keep up with all the new technology and the different ways of distributing their product, and every shot, every hole is certainly a manifestation of that.
Q. There’s been a lot of talk about the Premier Golf League as an upstart. If that takes flight and 48 of the top players decide to do this, is there some ‘out’ of the deal? Are you protected in any way?
SM: You know, I really can’t get into that, unfortunately, to be honest with you. I would say on the record that there’s no doubt in my mind that the PGA Tour is going to remain the premier golf tour in America and indeed around the world.
Q. How much of an influence did the PGA Tour have in some of the on‑air commentator decisions that you made during the off‑season?
SM: Really none. Those were decisions that we made. We informed the Tour of the decisions, but those were CBS decisions that we made on our own.
Q. With CBS having to pay significantly more in rights fees, should viewers be concerned that you’re going to have to add additional sponsorship and promotional elements to make up that difference?
SM: Definitely not. In fact, we have regular conversations with the Tour about eliminating some of the clutter, so I would say if anything you’re going to see fewer interruptions than more. We’re going to continue to try to do more CBS Eye on the Course, the double box, so you don’t miss live golf action. We and NBC, although sometimes we get criticized, we and NBC run basically the same commercial load. You will not see that expanding in this deal, and if anything we’re going to try to reduce the clutter a little bit. We’ve already reduced the amount of on‑air promotions we do for other programs, and I think we and the Tour are really cognizant of the fact that you want to show as much golf as you possibly can, and the two box is one way to do that, and less clutter is another way to do it. But no, there’s not going to be increased sponsorship or increased commercial inventory in the new deal.
Q. Even though Augusta National has said they’re monitoring coronavirus, now that we’ve seen at least one big event canceled, Indian Wells tennis, can you imagine a Masters without patrons and just maybe members allowed in the gallery or something to that effect?
SM: You know, I can imagine anything. I think it would be very interesting to watch that way. It would have certainly a different feel. But I think the primary draw at the Masters is the golf course and the competition on that golf course, and that theoretically wouldn’t change if there were no patrons. You know, that’s a decision that people at Augusta National will make, and we’ll be there to cover it in whatever form that it takes place.
Golf Channel’s first 25 years have included many significant moments, but none more so than these nine.
As Golf Channel celebrates its 25th anniversary, here’s a look at nine major moments that stand out or shaped its future.
Golf Channel launches
Jan. 17, 1995 — At the time, Joe Gibbs, a Birmingham entrepreneur, and co-founder Arnold Palmer, had an audacious idea that drew plenty of skepticism. But it would prove to be a stroke of genius and change the way the game is consumed. Its first televised event was the 1995 Dubai Desert Classic.
Peter Kessler interviews Arnold Palmer about controversial Callaway ERC driver
Dec. 2001 — Kessler’s criticism of Palmer, Golf Channel co-founder and chairman, for his endorsement of the unconforming driver led to the popular talk-show host, who had become the face of Golf Channel, being let go.
Golf Channel televises complete live coverage of Solheim Cup for first time
Sept. 2003 — This is an underrated moment that opened a lot of eyes to what Golf Channel was capable of doing.
Comcast acquires full ownership
Dec. 2003 — This gave the network deep pockets to pursue PGA Tour rights, which they may not have been able to do otherwise. The merger with NBC Universal in 2011 provided wonderful synergies and access to live “weekend golf” and properties such as the Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup.
Golf Channel becomes exclusive cable home of the PGA Tour
Jan. 2006 — This unprecedented, 15-year rights deal beginning in 2007 took GC next level and turned out to be a sweetheart deal for the network.
GolfNow joins Golf Channel portfolio
April 2008 — For better or worse, GolfNow changed the way golfers book tee times while offering courses a more advanced suite of products to run their business for little to no cost. Given that GolfNow has evolved into Golf Channel’s cash cow, this deal proved to be critical for future financial success.
Mike McCarley becomes fourth president
Feb. 2011 — No one has been a bigger cheerleader for the network both in the public eye and privately in board rooms. Despite losing the USGA bid under his watch, he has guided GC to new heights and made GolfNow a focal point and more successful that anyone could have dreamed.
Carries the inaugural Drive, Chip & Putt Championship National Finals
April 2014 – On Sunday prior to the Masters, Golf Channel shows the inaugural Drive, Chip & Putt Championship National Finals live from Augusta National Golf Club. Any time you have rights to broadcast an event at Augusta National, it is a big deal.
Golf Channel televises its first men’s major championship
July 2016 — All that seemingly had eluded Golf Channel was a major. But that ended when it acquired early-round coverage of The Open from Royal Troon. What once seemed like a pipe dream became reality.
