Professional Golf

[The Squirrel]

So why didn't they simply start earlier?

Isn’t that obvious? If you start 3 hours early and it turns out there’s no need to suspend play then you have a nice sunny course with absolutely no live golf happening on it at peak TV time. You also have to plan this early start at least the day before (on the basis of a very unreliable weather forecast, remember), as to start early, everyone (including all support staff) would need to arrive 3 hours early.

It’s a 4 day tournament so if the (unreliable) forecast shows some chance of weather disruption then you always have the option to see how it pans out and you can make up times on the following days if weather does hit. That’s much easier to schedule with minimum overall disruption as you’re then dealing with definites you can plan in advance - you already know the how many rounds there are still to finish and how far they got. They made up the time with no issues the following day so their plan has worked out exactly as it should.

 

[Mel Smooth]

Isn’t that obvious? If you start 3 hours early and it turns out there’s no need to suspend play then you have a nice sunny course with absolutely no live golf happening on it at peak TV time. You also have to plan this early start at least the day before (on the basis of a very unreliable weather forecast, remember), as to start early, everyone (including all support staff) would need to arrive 3 hours early.

It’s a 4 day tournament so if the (unreliable) forecast shows some chance of weather disruption then you always have the option to see how it pans out and you can make up times on the following days if weather does hit. That’s much easier to schedule with minimum overall disruption as you’re then dealing with definites you can plan in advance - you already know the how many rounds there are still to finish and how far they got. They made up the time with no issues the following day so their plan has worked out exactly as it should.

What happens if it rains on the following days.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Fun fact, something like out of the 20 biggest watched TV shows in the US last year, 17 were NFL games. You don't go up against the NFL in the US, you'd lose.

 

[irip]

Fun fact, something like out of the 20 biggest watched TV shows in the US last year, 17 were NFL games. You don't go up against the NFL in the US, you'd lose.

I don’t think you are correct.
It wasn’t much fun.
The NFL is the main sport in the US, so much that other traditional US Sports don’t even compete with/against it.
Golf would see a huge downturn in viewers in America if they tried to compete which in turn means less sponsors and less money so the best players would have to join a different tour.
If that happens any suggestions Mel?

 

[Imurg]

Statement from the DP World Tour - Articles - DP World Tour

The DP World Tour has granted conditional releases to eight members to play in conflicting tournaments on LIV Golf during the 2026 season.

www.europeantour.com

Rahm has, reportedly, rejected the offer.........

 

[Swinglowandslow]

I’m watching a recording of the pga tour second round towards the end of McIroys round, hole 15, and for a long time now there has been a noisy helicopter nearby, hovering around.
I wouldn’t want to be playing with that incessant noise around. It’s not a usual feature, in fact as I type Rich Beem has just commented about that annoying chopper.
Anyone know why it was there? Anything to do with TV coverage ?

 

[Slab]

I’m watching a recording of the pga tour second round towards the end of McIroys round, hole 15, and for a long time now there has been a noisy helicopter nearby, hovering around.
I wouldn’t want to be playing with that incessant noise around. It’s not a usual feature, in fact as I type Rich Beem has just commented about that annoying chopper.
Anyone know why it was there? Anything to do with TV coverage ?

Same as we've to deal with on any given day
Not unusual to have a helicopter over fly low or even land on the course with resort courses

They should just play

 

[Arthur Wedge]

Statement from the DP World Tour - Articles - DP World Tour

The DP World Tour has granted conditional releases to eight members to play in conflicting tournaments on LIV Golf during the 2026 season.

www.europeantour.com

Rahm has, reportedly, rejected the offer.........

Seems a strange decision to reject it

 

[Arthur Wedge]

There was 11 hours of daylight on Thursday, and a 3 hour rain delay. That leaves 8 hours to get 72 golfers round a golf course, and the PGAT failed to do that.

The technology exists to be able to get a fairly accurate handle on the impact of the weather, so using the weather as an excuse in this case isn't acceptable.

The organisers failed to plan accordingly for their event, that's the bottom line.

Weather will always be ever changing and no matter what technology is in place it can change even more so when on the coast

Only so much an organising body can do and at times events will be disrupted

But they got everyone round the first two rounds in the first two days

 

[rulie]

Pace of play is an issue with nearly every competition - professional or amateur. Everyone has a pace of play policy and the players obviously know how to satisfy that policy and not incur penalties. Most policies have a definition of "out of position", players know it and comply with it. One of the worst things for officials to do is to push groups into a wait.
It's most comparable to a management-union work situation.