The FedEx St. Jude Championship is well on its way, but fans aren’t satisfied with CBS’ broadcast, taking to social media to blast missed shots, confusing scheduling, and preempted coverage.
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The tournament kicked off on Thursday at TPC Southwind with $20 million on the line. Now, it has reached the third round on Saturday, with World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler firmly in the lead. At the time of writing, he is 13 under overall. South Korea’s Im Sung-jae and Sam Burns are following tied for second at 11 under, tied for second. The event is being aired on Golf Channel and CBS, with live streaming available via Paramount+ and the ESPN app.
But fans watching that coverage haven’t been happy: one fan didn’t mince words, calling it “an abomination,” and they weren’t alone.
There’s more on the line than just Scheffler’s lead. All 69 players in the field are also fighting to stay inside the top 50 in the FedExCup standings, the cutoff to advance to next week’s BMW Championship. That’s part of why fans are frustrated: the middle and back of the leaderboard, where a lot of that fight is playing out, keeps losing airtime to studio segments.
This is at least the third time this year CBS has caught heat for its golf coverage. At the Masters, the network missed McIlroy’s second shot on 18 and gave viewers a partially blocked view of his winning putt, mistakes that drew plenty of criticism from fans and media alike. Then at the PGA Championship in May, with 21 players within four shots of the lead late on Sunday, CBS kept cutting away right as contenders were making their moves, leaning on graphics and studio chatter instead of showing the golf.
Saturday’s frustration is compounded by scheduling: Golf Channel is carrying early third-round coverage from 1-3 p.m. ET, with CBS taking over from 3-6 p.m. ET, the exact window fans say has been running behind schedule.
That frustration spilled out on X throughout the day.
CBS comes into the spotlight during the St. Jude Championship
“The CBS golf coverage is an abomination. 4 minutes of watching 3 shots. Watching Scottie walk to the next tee. What a farce,” one user commented.
Another asked, “Why does CBS continue to schedule stuff ahead of golf coverage, knowing it won’t be done at 3 pm?”
Someone else posted: “@CBS @PGATOUR, why did you block the 3rd round afternoon of PGA Tour coverage? I have @paramountplus as well, and it’s the Chiefs’ preseason. I couldn’t give an F about this game. I want to be able to watch the FedEx St Jude Classic. @YouTubeTV is showing the Chiefs, too.”
Meanwhile, a third user added: “CBS Sports has lost their minds. Third Round coverage of the FedEx Cup with Scottie Scheffler leading has been preempted by a basketball game. Come on, man.”
The next fan wasn’t happy either. “CBS is doing it again; they’re supposed to start at 3 pm, but the 3-on-3 garbage is still going, so golf coverage is sidelined for minor sports coverage. Why are they even given these contracts when they continually preempt for WNBA and 3-on-3? Both sports aren’t watchable.”
Add it up with the Masters and PGA Championship, and this isn’t a one-off, it’s starting to look like a habit. Sunday’s final round will show whether CBS tightens things up, or whether fans are stuck watching Scheffler’s walk to the next tee instead of the shot that got him there.