Golf fans were left fuming when Golf Channel, owned by NBC, cut away from the dramatic finish of the DP World Tour’s Betfred British Masters at The Belfry to air pre-game coverage for the PGA Tour’s TOUR Championship. With the leaderboard tightly packed and the tournament building towards a thrilling close, American viewers were abruptly pulled out of the action. Instead of live golf, the channel opted for studio chatter and preview segments of the TOUR Championship – content that had already been broadcast multiple times.

Interestingly, this isn’t the first time the DP World Tour has been sidelined by US broadcasters. This has been a recurring problem where live European events often get truncated or overshadowed in favor of PGA Tour programming. Even with Ryder Cup-level talent in the field, coverage has historically been lighter, with fewer broadcast hours and less depth compared to what international audiences see.

Add to that the uncertainty around Golf Channel’s broadcast deal with the DP World Tour earlier this year. With the launch of a new, free streaming service available 24/7 in the US, Canada, and the UK. This move raises questions about the scope and exclusivity of any existing or future deals with traditional broadcasters like Golf Channel.

Meanwhile, a Golf Monthly article clearly captures the poor quality of its television coverage. “One thing I will say for the product is that there were no unnecessary breakaways to the studio for random filler content, but what we had instead was plenty of watching players standing around waiting for their playing partners to hole out or play their next shot,” wrote Bax Plummer in the article.

Even the LPGA hasn’t fared much better. Fans have long complained about production values lagging far behind what the PGA Tour gets – fewer cameras, repetitive greenside shots, and commentary that often feels phoned in. Overseas events, especially in Asia, are notorious for tape delays or heavily edited broadcasts, sometimes even cutting down playoff drama into highlight snippets. The 2023 BMW Ladies Championship, for instance, saw its coverage delayed and awkwardly chopped to fit into a slot around other programming.

But these decisions, though, haven’t come out of nowhere. NBC operates under strict broadcasting rights that heavily favor the PGA Tour. With contracts dictating priority windows, the TOUR Championship was always going to get the nod. Beyond obligations, the PGA Tour is simply a more valuable property in the US – its season-ending FedExCup Playoffs command higher ad rates, bigger audiences, and more sponsor pull than the DP World Tour.

Add in production costs of keeping live coverage on air and the cheaper appeal of the studio pre-game segments, and the move becomes clear. This also comes at a time when the PGA Tour has seen a decrease in its viewership. Hence, this could be a move done to reprimand that. However, from the reactions of the fans, it clearly failed. Makes one question if this is exactly the reason for a dip in the viewership.

But whatever the justification, the move did not sit right with fans at all.

Golf fans are visibly upset over NBC’s coverage fiasco

Ryan Ballengee, owner of Golf News Net, was quick to express his surprise, “Is Golf Channel seriously not showing the end of the British Masters to have pre-game for the Tour Championship?!” With the leaderboard at the British Masters packed with names like Alex Noren (1), Kazuma Kobori (T2), and Nicolai Hojgaard(T2), this reaction felt apt. Noren was leading at 16-under, with Kobori and Hojgaard just one shot back at 15-under — the tournament was at a nail-biting stage. Naturally, fans were upset.

Many pointed out that the coverage could have been shifted to streaming on Peacock, yet that option was unavailable. Echoing the sentiment, another user commented, “Holy sh-t did golf channel really just leave DPWT coverage with a couple holes left for an hour of Tour Championship preview blather? And not even on The Cock? That’s certainly a decision.” To many, it felt like the DP World Tour was being treated as disposable, especially with the event coming down to its final hole.

More criticism followed. One fan fumed: “Terrible decision by Golf Channel. We all watched the coverage yesterday. Don’t need to see highlights again nor the failures of Fleetwood over the years.” That jab came after the network opted to replay old clips and focus on Tommy Fleetwood‘s near-misses instead of sticking with live action. “And a Tommy bashing no less,” another viewer added. In fact, just a few days ago, there was criticism surrounding FOX Sports for shutting down the coverage of LIV Golf in Indianapolis, just prior to Sebastian Muñoz making his birdie putt on the last hole to tie Jon Rahm. So yeah, it’s not just Golf Channel and NBC. Other channels too have come under fans’ criticism.

Once Golf Channel cut away, the broadcast reportedly shifted to Brandel Chamblee‘s studio pre-game commentary show for the TOUR Championship. That only made things worse, with one furious fan tweeting, “@GolfChannel What in the world are you doing!? You have a close leaderboard for the DP World Tour with 3 holes to go and you go to Chamblee l!? It’s the golf channel! Show golf!!” Another piled on with a sarcastic jab: “They need time for Brandel to speak.”

This backlash makes it clear: fans don’t tune into Golf Channel for recycled highlights or endless studio chatter. They want live golf, and cutting away at the most dramatic moment sent exactly the wrong message.