The start of the 2025 schedule has been filled with struggle for the PGA Tour. First, the players, due to fitness, withdrew their names, and later the continuing issue of pace of play became a worry for the fans. With two issues coinciding together, the tour took a massive hit with dropping viewership. Take the example of the final rounds of the American Express, and the Sentry, that took longer than 5 hours, making the fans upset and drop off.

Other than the fans, professionals from the LPGA Tour, including Nelly Korda, Paige Spiranac, and even journalist Dottie Pepper, have also expressed their frustration for the same. However, the issue that began to spread like wildfire seemed to have calmed with the second signature event, i.e., the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

As per the stats shared by Todd Lewis during the NBC Golf Podcast, the event took less time than the TV broadcast window. Talking on this the panel including Rex Hoggard, Ryan Lavner, and Todd Lewis have briefly discussed the pace of play at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Starting the discussion, Hoggard points out the recent incident of a journalist expressing the pace of play issue. He asked, “Do you think the players are starting to get the message?”

Answering it, Lewis shared, “I do actually.” He further highlighted how the pace of play for all four days was ahead of the prescribed time by the PGA Tour. “In other words, the tournament play ended before the broadcast was over, say they ended 15-20 minutes early,” he said.

Continuing further, he shared the surprising fact received from the insider. He said, “Matter of fact, Thursday and Friday I was told by rule officials here on the PGA Tour that the pace of play was the fastest it’s ever been in this tournament for the first two rounds.” Even spoke about how it could be a topic in the locker room and how players would avoid being called slow players.

While the pace of play might be good news for the PGA Tour and fans, there was something that still raised concern and could turn out to be worrisome in the future.

What frustrated fans at AT&T Pebble Beach?

Even though it seemed like everything was falling into place for the PGA Tour, it didn’t happen as expected. The pace of play, which was the issue for fans, turned out to be the fastest. However, the broadcast switch, which was the regular practice for the event, has encountered a new issue. Typically, the PGA Tour broadcast starts on the Golf Channel, which later switches to the CBS channel.

Unlike the usual switch, the signature event saw a delay in broadcasting because of the ongoing basketball game conclusion. In the first three rounds, due to the delay, Golf Channel continued to air the event. However, in the last round, Golf Channel switched to the DP World Tour event presentation from Bahrain, while CBS was still broadcasting the college basketball match.

With the awkward switch, the fans missed out on the two most crucial holes no. 6th and 7th. By the time the coverage resumed, Rory McIlroy was at the tee shot for hole no. 8th. Fans and even critics have shared their worries on social media about the same. The list of worries for the PGA Tour is showing no sign of stopping. Can the issue end anytime soon? What are your thoughts about it? Let us know in the comments below.