Fans expected the action at the U.S. Women’s Open to be front and center on a major championship Sunday. Instead, many found themselves asking where the coverage was.

“Public service announcement: If you’re looking for the U.S. Women’s Open, coverage is on Peacock until 5 P.M. ET and then will switch over to NBC,” Fried Egg Golf posted on X to alert fans of the coverage split.

Instead, the $20 million Memorial Tournament, a PGA Tour Signature event, is getting prime coverage. The Golf Channel is covering the event from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m., and then CBS will cover it from 2:30 to the end of play.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Women’s Open airs on Peacock until 5 p.m. ET, then on NBC (or NBCSN if available). This is a significant issue, given that it occurred on a major championship Sunday.

The LPGA announced live coverage for all 2026 events: Golf Channel daily, CNBC select weekends. There were equipment enhancements and new deals with FM and Trackman.

Charley Hull’s 4-under through 7 holes puts her level with World No. 1 Nelly Korda and Sei Young Kim at 7-under overall. With NBC coverage resuming at 5 p.m. ET, fans will see one of them secure a close victory over the others, but they will miss the live action of the path that led to that final moment. And fans are disheartened by that.

Fans slam broadcast decisions as major championship takes a back seat

Founders of golf communities also couldn’t hold themselves back.

“I’m at airport, and I’d love to be watching the Women’s U.S Open…… But it’s not on NBC till 5pm. What????” wrote Monday Q Info’s Ryan French, who caddied for Christina Kim at ShopRite LPGA Classic.

Inside Sports Net’s Brian Kirschner said, “Uh US Women’s open should probably be on TV now and not in 45 minutes lol.”

Many fans like these two may not have a Peacock subscription or might not have immediate access to watch it on the streaming platform.

“Major sunday and no coverage 😂. Got bums on pga on cbs for no reason,” one fan wrote.

This is a significant issue, given that Mel Reid and Charley Hull both complained about the lack of fan engagement at LPGA Tour events. If the tour wants to attract more fans to come to the course and get them more involved, it needs to start with better coverage. Greater television exposure can motivate fans to attend these events in person as well.

Some other fans were less forgiving. “Bunch of 🤡,” one user commented, while another said, “And in Canada, we have to wait until 5 pm ET.”

Fan frustration reflects a broader pattern: women’s golf continues to receive secondary treatment. The impact of this is not limited to the U.S., as women’s golf has equal global stars on the roster, if not more than the PGA Tour. For instance, Charley Hull (England), Ruoning Yin (China), Jeeno Thitikul (Thailand), Brooke Henderson (Canada), Minjee Lee (Australia), and Hyo Joo Kim (South Korea) are all elite athletes representing countries other than the U.S.A.

“The fact this needs to be announced is an own goal. Unfortunately it’s what we’ve become accustomed to as fans of women’s golf,” wrote another user. Another fan summed up the sad reality facing viewers, saying, “Yes. Gotta watch on peacock sadly.”

These suggest that similar broadcast situations have become an all-too-familiar experience for fans, and it’s true. While the issue has declined in recent years, it was an even bigger problem before that. The 2023 US Women’s Open faced similar coverage issues. “How do we grow the game when we can’t be seen?” a frustrated Marina Alex said after the event.

These comments echo broader complaints about streaming-exclusive coverage. Many fans expected the LPGA Tour’s new broadcast deals to improve coverage, but the viewing experience still left them disappointed.