Golf Community Infuriated as ESPN Coverage Prioritizes Scottie Scheffler’s Year-Old Arrest Over Max Homa

Trouble brewing at ESPN? That, too, because of Scottie Scheffler and rookie reporter Jeff Darlington, who broke the news of Scheffler’s arrest at the 2024 PGA Championship? Days after claiming his Scottie arrest video aimed to provide “context” for the golfer’s side—because “everybody deserves that context” —Darlington experienced a surge in career momentum and fan appreciation. But now, ESPN seems to be overdoing it. It has even sidelined Max Homa‘s stunning performance at Quail Hollow. But how?

So, the problem began even before the second round officially started. A day before the first anniversary of Scheffler’s brief hiccup due to a traffic incident before the second round of the PGA Championship, Scheffler walked into the clubhouse at Quail Hollow Club. Nantz and Immelman, the announcers for the ESPN+ broadcast, kicked off the show by joking about Scheffler’s arrest, with Nantz saying, “And look who arrives. A quiet Friday arrival for Scottie Scheffler.” Unlike 2024, Friday morning at Valhalla! Following Nantz’s opening, ESPN+ broadcast then changed its focus to a “documentary” about Scottie’s arrest, highlighting how their reporter filmed the event and assisted the World No. 1 in getting released, instead of focusing on the actual game. 

Fans did not find this funny, however, simply because it’s old news. Which is it! Fans want the latest news, period! Which, on day 2, was Max Homa’s career-best round in a major. You see, Homa surged into contention at the PGA Championship with an impressive round of 64, bringing his tournament total to -5. Not only was Homa’s score the lowest of the day, but it also marked his best round (including his rounds on the PGA Tour) since August 2023 and his best-ever performance in a major by three strokes. So, obviously, the documentary didn’t sit right with the fans.

This isn’t the first time the broadcast has faced criticism at Quail Hollow. During the first round, they played a video about Rory McIlroy’s Masters win while the game was happening. Technical problems also worsened the viewing experience, with audio issues causing complaints about the sound quality. Not the first time for the PGA Championship either. At the 2024 PGA Championship, ESPN filled its coverage with commercials, views of the course, opinions from analysts, and clips from the practice range. The fans were not happy and angrily said, “PGA coverage is HORRIBLE.” And the latest issue has once again inspired similar reactions.

Golf fans are ready to throw hands at ESPN’s coverage of the PGA Championship

When the “gentle” and “boring” Scottie Scheffler got arrested at the PGA Championship shortly after his Masters win, the golf world erupted. The World No. 1 found himself in handcuffs, facing four charges: second-degree assault of a police officer, third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving, and ignoring traffic signals. But that was a year ago, and fans are tired! At the latest ESPN broadcast issue, one fan said, “@espn nobody cares about the Scottie Scheffler arrest again. Show the golf,” while the other replied, “Man they’re treating Scottie Scheffler like he’s Rosa Parks on ESPN lol.” Ouch?

One fan said, “I love getting coverage of a major interrupted for 15 minutes while some low-level ESPN reporter shows a short film about how he’s a hero for taking a cell phone video of Scottie Scheffler getting arrested And @espn wonders why their ratings are in the sh-tter.” ESPN’s viewership numbers speak for themselves.

In April, ESPN saw a significant decline in viewership, with ratings dropping 28% compared to the opening round in 2024. While Friday’s Round Two coverage averaged 3.1 million viewers—up from 2.3 million on Thursday—it still marked a 14% decrease from Round Two in 2024. Overall, ESPN’s two-day average of 2.7 million viewers shows a 21% decline from the previous year. A trend of decline? Likely.

Another fan said, “@espn @PGATOUR I’m trying to drink beers and watch some f–king golf and you’re showing me a mini documentary on Scottie Scheffler getting arrested last year. What the f–k are we doing here.” The PGA Championship is showcasing an amazing run of scores from both popular and lesser-known golfers. Fans are witnessing a surge in Max Homa’s performance! They want to see that, not old news from a year ago!

Lastly, a fan said, “No that’s awesome ESPN. I definitely didn’t want to see Bryson’s par putt live. What I REALLY wanted during the 2025 PGA Championship was to watch a rehashing of Scottie Scheffler’s arrest from the 2024 PGA Championship. No that’s f–king sick. Yes. F–k yes.”  Not the first time for Bryson DeChambeau! At the 2024 Masters Tournament, he shot a strong 4-under 68 in the second round, securing second place. However, few fans saw his performance because ESPN’s coverage focused more on Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler.