Watching Golf this Week: Tampa Bay Championship

March 14, 2013 by Paul Kapustka Leave a Comment

It’s a bit of a sleeper week on the PGA Tour, with a relatively anonymous tournament (the Tampa Bay Championship?) and none of the big names like we’ve seen on the leaderboards recently (no Tiger, Phil or Rory). For the players, of course, that means an opportunity to shine — so look for someone like last year’s tourney winner Luke Donald to use this stop to revive or kickstart a season that so far has been dominated by Tiger Woods.

Wood’s win last week at the WGC Cadillac Championship not only makes him the odds-on favorite to win the Masters this year, it makes events he’s not in (like this week’s) seem much dimmer in comparison. With 8,000 college hoops games on this weekend, you may find time for golf as a break — broadcast is on NBC again this weekend, with no extra live online coverage other than the simulcast still only available to Comcast cable subscribers.

TAMPA BAY CHAMPIONSHIP

(all times Eastern)
TV COVERAGE

Thursday, March 14 — Golf Channel, 3 p.m. — 6 p.m.
Friday, March 15 — Golf Channel, 3 p.m. — 6 p.m.
Saturday, March 16 — Golf Channel, 1:30 p.m. — 3 p.m.; NBC, 3 p.m. — 6 p.m.
Sunday, March 17 — Golf Channel, 1 p.m. — 3 p.m.; NBC, 3 p.m. — 6 p.m.

LIVE ONLINE COVERAGE

Thursday and Friday, Golf Channel TV simulcast coverage via PGATour.com and GolfChannel.com; Saturday and Sunday, NBC coverage via the PGA site and from NBC sites, which include Golf Channel. Right now only Comcast cable subscribers can watch live online video on weekdays. NOTE: If you are using the PGA Mobile app to watch the Golf Channel online video, be advised that it only works with iOS phones and with some (not all) Android phones. There is no fix planned for the immediate future.

RADIO
SIRIUS XM (Satellite) 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. every day. The live broadcasts are also available to subscribers on the SiriusXM Internet Radio App and online at SiriusXM.com.

FACEBOOK PAGE
Here is the Tampa Bay Championship Facebook page.

TOP TWITTER FEEDS TO FOLLOW
Tampa Bay Championship Twitter feed.
Geoff Shackelford — well known golf writer. If you’re not following Geoff you are missing the online boat.
Golf Channel — official Golf Channel feed
@PGATOUR — official PGA Twitter feed
@StephanieWei — great golf writer who is a Twitter fiend.
Doug Ferguson is the lead golf writer for AP. Good Twitter insights that often aren’t part of your wire-service lead.

WHAT’S THE COURSE LIKE?
Here’s the lowdown on the Innisbrook Copperhead course.

WHO WON THIS THING LAST TIME?
Luke Donald.

Watching Golf this Week: Cadillac Championship and Rory’s Apology

March 7, 2013 by Paul Kapustka Leave a Comment

Are we all clear about the great toothache now? With a no-excuses apology Wednesday for his sudden departure last week, No. 1 Rory McIlroy cleared the decks of controversy (for now) ahead of the World Golf Championship Cadillac Championship this week at Doral.

Since there’s no cut for the select field this weekend, McIlroy will have to grind it out over four rounds at the TPC Blue Monster at Doral, bad molars or not. As of Thursday afternoon it didn’t look like much fun, as McIlroy was flirting with last place. Expect more questions over the weekend about his switch to Nike clubs, which so far this year has been a disaster.

Putting Rory aside, there’s still plenty of good golfers in the pack this weekend, including Sir Eldrick. No Live@ video this week, but you can still catch simulcasts online if you are a Comcast cable subscriber. NBC picks up on the weekend, for you Johnny Miller fans.

WGC CADILLAC CHAMPIONSHIP

(all times Eastern)
TV COVERAGE

Thursday, March 7 — Golf Channel, 2 p.m. — 6 p.m.
Friday, March 8 — Golf Channel, 2 p.m. — 6 p.m.
Saturday, March 9 — Golf Channel, 12 p.m. — 2 p.m.; NBC, 2 p.m. — 6 p.m.
Sunday, March 10 — Golf Channel, 1 p.m. — 3 p.m.; NBC, 3 p.m. — 7 p.m.

LIVE ONLINE COVERAGE

RADIO
SIRIUS XM (Satellite) 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday. The live broadcasts are also available to subscribers on the SiriusXM Internet Radio App and online at SiriusXM.com.

FACEBOOK PAGE
Use the PGA Facebook page for the WGC event this week.

TOP TWITTER FEEDS TO FOLLOW

Geoff Shackelford — well known golf writer. If you’re not following Geoff you are missing the online boat.
Golf Channel — official Golf Channel feed
@PGATOUR — official PGA Twitter feed
@StephanieWei — great golf writer who is a Twitter fiend.
Doug Ferguson is the lead golf writer for AP. Good Twitter insights that often aren’t part of your wire-service lead.

WHAT’S THE COURSE LIKE?
Here’s a hole by hole description of the TPC Blue Monster at Doral.

WHO WON THIS THING LAST TIME?
Justin Rose.

Filed Under: Golf, Golf Channel, NBC Sports, Tiger Woods Tagged With: Comcast, Golf Channel, Mobile Sports Report, NBC Sports, Paul Kapustka, PGA, Rory McIlroy, Tiger Woods, WGC

Watching Golf this Week: Rory and Tiger Return at The Honda Classic

February 28, 2013 by Paul Kapustka Leave a Comment

It’s back to Florida time for the PGA Tour, and the stars are definitely out, with defending champ Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods heading the full-force field. If you watch on TV or online, get ready for a full weekend of references to “The Bear Trap,” the finishing three holes at the Jack Nicklaus-designed PGA National course in Palm Beach Gardens.

I’m not sure if the full press promo will move “The Bear Trap” into golf lore — personally I think it will take some real history, like a mano a mano showdown over the last three holes with some spectacular shots to really make the Bear Trap something real. But the good news is, with a full field and a high profile tourney we get the return of @Live, the PGA’s own extra online coverage of a couple holes. Good stuff for those of us who watch more on the PC than on the couch.

THE HONDA CLASSIC

(all times Eastern)
TV COVERAGE

Thursday, Feb. 28 — Golf Channel, 3 p.m. — 6 p.m.
Friday, March 1 — Golf Channel, 3 p.m. — 6 p.m.
Saturday, March 2 — Golf Channel, 1 p.m. — 3 p.m.; NBC, 3 p.m. — 6 p.m.
Sunday, March 3 — Golf Channel, 1 p.m. — 3 p.m.; NBC, 3 p.m. — 6 p.m.

LIVE ONLINE COVERAGE

The PGA’s @Live returns this week for the Honda Classic, with exclusive coverage of the par-5 third and par-4 ninth at PGA National. Here is the @Live link.

RADIO
SIRIUS XM (Satellite) 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. all four days. The live broadcasts are also available to subscribers on the SiriusXM Internet Radio App and online at SiriusXM.com.

FACEBOOK PAGE
Here is the Honda Classic Facebook page.

TOP TWITTER FEEDS TO FOLLOW

Honda Classic Twitter feed.
Geoff Shackelford — well known golf writer. If you’re not following Geoff you are missing the online boat.
Golf Channel — official Golf Channel feed
@PGATOUR — official PGA Twitter feed
@StephanieWei — great golf writer who is a Twitter fiend.
Doug Ferguson is the lead golf writer for AP. Good Twitter insights that often aren’t part of your wire-service lead.

WHAT’S THE COURSE LIKE?
Here’s an interactive look at the PGA Resort and Spa’s Champion Course.

WHO WON THIS THING LAST TIME?
Rory McIlroy.

Filed Under: Golf, Golf Channel, NBC Sports, PGA, Tiger Woods Tagged With: Golf Channel, Honda Classic, Mobile Sports Report, NBC Sports, Paul Kapustka, PGA, Rory McIlroy, Tiger Woods

Watching Golf this Week: The Frozen Open, or WGC Accenture Match Play Championship

February 21, 2013 by Paul Kapustka Leave a Comment

Pardon us for our late entry for this week’s watching golf episode… can we claim we were just waiting for our keyboard to thaw?

In case you hadn’t heard, the opening rounds Wednesday of the World Golf Championships Accenture Match Play Championships got put “on ice,” so to speak, after a snowstorm moved in on The Golf Club at Dove Mountain in Marana, Ariz. Snow? In Arizona? You bet. Watch Ricky Fowler get pasted by a snowball… what fun!

Seriously, there is a golf tournament going on, but my personal opinion is that match play does not make for a good TV viewing experience, especially in the first rounds when there are so many matches going on that it’s hard to keep track of where anybody is. In the spirit of March Madness, which is just around the corner, I say it’s best to wait until Saturday or Sunday to see if there are matches you care about, then tune in. If you’ve joined the PGA bracket competition you can track it live to see if your bracket is busted, like mine was thanks to Richard Sterne’s 1-up upset of Jason Dufner Thursday. As of this writing, ~~Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy are still playing~~. Update: Rory and Tiger are out. But you can still watch this weekend!

UPDATE 2: Here’s Saturday’s pairings:

Below are starting times for Saturday’s third-round of the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship. Attached is an updated bracket with results from Friday’s second round included.

Saturday 2/23/13
Tee Time Match # Players
1 07:10 AM Match 49 Robert Garrigus vs Fredrik Jacobson
1 07:22 AM Match 50 Nicolas Colsaerts vs Matt Kuchar
1 07:34 AM Match 53 Shane Lowry vs Graeme McDowell
1 07:46 AM Match 54 Bubba Watson vs Jason Day
10 07:10 AM Match 51 Scott Piercy vs Steve Stricker
10 07:22 AM Match 52 Tim Clark vs Ian Poulter
10 07:34 AM Match 55 Gonzalo Fdez-Castano vs Webb Simpson
10 07:46 AM Match 56 Martin Kaymer vs Hunter Mahan

Round 4 – Approximate Starting Times: Saturday 11:30 a.m. to 12:40 p.m., one tee start

All times local Arizona MT

WGC ACCENTURE MATCH PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP

(all times Eastern)
TV COVERAGE

Thursday, Feb. 21 — Golf Channel, 12:30 p.m. — 6 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 22 — Golf Channel, 2 p.m. — 6 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 23 — Golf Channel, 12 p.m. — 2 p.m.; CBS, 2 p.m. — 6 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 24 — Golf Channel, 9 a.m. — 1 p.m.; CBS, 2 p.m. — 6 p.m.

LIVE ONLINE COVERAGE

Thursday and Friday, Golf Channel coverage via PGATour.com and GolfChannel.com; Saturday and Sunday, CBS coverage at CBSSports.com. Right now only Comcast cable subscribers can watch live online video on weekdays. NOTE: If you are using the PGA Mobile app to watch the CBS or Golf Channel online video, be advised that it only works with iOS phones and with some (not all) Android phones. There is no fix planned for the immediate future.

RADIO
SIRIUS XM (Satellite) Thursday-Friday-Saturday, and 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. The live broadcasts are also available to subscribers on the SiriusXM Internet Radio App and online at SiriusXM.com.

TOP TWITTER FEEDS TO FOLLOW

WHAT’S THE COURSE LIKE?
The Golf Club at Dove Mountain is a Jack Nicklaus design, and we expect it plays better when the snow melts off. Not sure if there are chairlifts. End of snow jokes.

WHO WON THIS THING LAST TIME?
Hunter Mahan, over Rory McIlroy.

Filed Under: CBS Sports, Golf, Golf Channel, PGA Tagged With: Golf Channel, Mobile Sports Report, Paul Kapustka, PGA, Rory McIlroy, Tiger Woods, WGC Match Play

Watching Golf this Week: Northern Trust Open

February 14, 2013 by Paul Kapustka Leave a Comment

Will it be Phil, Keegan, Bill… or Freddie? Those are the questions about possible winners at the Northern Trust Open, which is underway today at the famed Riviera Country Club outside of Los Angeles. Phil, Bill and Keegan, if you recall, were all in a playoff last year, the best part of which came at the end of regulation when Phil dumped a long putt on 18 and Keegan responded in kind. Then Kill Bill came through in the extra time.

The dark horse here is the “old guy,” Boom Boom Couples, who loves Riviera just like he loves Augusta. Since we were a little late getting this post up today we already know that Freddie is -3 for his first round, not bad for a Champions Tour kinda guy. This is a Golf Channel/CBS weekend, so online video is available for Comcast subscribers only.

NORTHERN TRUST OPEN

(all times Eastern)
TV COVERAGE

Thursday, Feb. 14 — Golf Channel, 3 p.m. — 6 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 15 — Golf Channel, 3 p.m. — 6 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 16 — Golf Channel, 1 p.m. — 2:30 p.m.; CBS, 3 p.m. — 6 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 17 — Golf Channel, 1 p.m. — 2:30 p.m.; CBS, 3 p.m. — 6:30 p.m.

LIVE ONLINE COVERAGE

RADIO
SIRIUS XM (Satellite) Thursday-Friday-Saturday, and 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday. The live broadcasts are also available to subscribers on the SiriusXM Internet Radio App and online at SiriusXM.com.

FACEBOOK
The tournament has its own Facebook page. Like it.

SMS ALERTS
Text NTOGolf to 94253 for tournament updates.

TOP TWITTER FEEDS TO FOLLOW

The Northern Trust Open Twitter feed.
Geoff Shackelford — well known golf writer. If you’re not following Geoff you are missing the online boat.
Golf Channel — official Golf Channel feed
@PGATOUR — official PGA Twitter feed
@StephanieWei — great golf writer who is a Twitter fiend.
Doug Ferguson is the lead golf writer for AP. Good Twitter insights that often aren’t part of your wire-service lead.

WHAT’S THE COURSE LIKE?
Pros and those who follow the PGA love the Riviera Country Club. We’ve never been there but the history is solid and the place looks great on TV.

WHO WON THIS THING LAST TIME?
Bill Haas, the least exciting member of the three-man playoff. Best part of last year was Phil Mickelson and Keegan Bradley with their back-to-back long putts on 18 to get into the playoff… which they both then lost to the steady Eddie, Bill Haas.

Filed Under: CBS Sports, Golf, Golf Channel, PGA Tagged With: CBS Sports, Fred Couples, Golf Channel, Keegan Bradley, Mobile Sports Report, Northern Trust Open, Paul Kapustka, PGA, Phil Mickelson

Watching Golf this Week: Celebs and Pros at AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am

February 7, 2013 by Paul Kapustka Leave a Comment

Maybe it’s because this tournament is somewhat local, but for me the PGA golf season doesn’t really “start” until the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, which this year starts today. Even though it is a fully regulation tour event, it also still feels like spring training to me, especially since the presence of celebrities, namely actors, singers and other sports heroes, makes it almost more of a party than golf.

Almost! Last year was one of those years when the golf part came shining through, thanks to the Sunday head-to-head matchup between Phil and Tiger. It was great fun, though it won’t happen again this year since El Tigre is skipping Monterey this time around. Phil, fresh from his almost-59 last week in Phoenix, should be on form but picking a winner here is never easy given the three-course rotation for the first three days. And as I write this a very chilly rain has hit the Bay area (not sure if it’s wet down south in Monterey) so that weather can make it even more of a crapshoot. Still, with football finally over it’s time to start watching golf in earnest. And the scenery doesn’t get any better, so enjoy.

AT&T PEBBLE BEACH NATIONAL PRO-AM

(all times Eastern)
TV COVERAGE

Thursday, Feb. 7 — Golf Channel, 3 p.m. — 6 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 8 — Golf Channel, 3 p.m. — 6 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 9 — Golf Channel, 1 p.m. — 2:30 p.m.; CBS, 3 p.m. — 6 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 10 — Golf Channel, 1 p.m. — 2:30 p.m.; CBS, 3 p.m. — 6:30 p.m.

LIVE ONLINE COVERAGE

FACEBOOK
The tournament has its own Facebook page. Like it.

TOP TWITTER FEEDS TO FOLLOW

The AT&T Pro-Am Twitter feed.
Geoff Shackelford — well known golf writer. If you’re not following Geoff you are missing the online boat.
Golf Channel — official Golf Channel feed
@PGATOUR — official PGA Twitter feed
@StephanieWei — great golf writer who is a Twitter fiend.
Doug Ferguson is the lead golf writer for AP. Good Twitter insights that often aren’t part of your wire-service lead.

WHAT’S THE COURSE LIKE?
If you haven’t seen Pebble Beach before… welcome to our planet, new overlords. Here is a link to more info on the three courses used — Pebble, Spyglass and Monterey Peninsula.

WHO WON THIS THING LAST TIME?
Phil! Or did you forget his face to face smackdown of Tiger?

Filed Under: AT&T, CBS Sports, Golf, Golf Channel, PGA Tagged With: AT&T, Golf Channel, Mobile Sports Report, Paul Kapustka, Pebble Beach, PGA, Phil Mickelson

Watching Golf this Week: Tampa Bay Championship

TAMPA BAY CHAMPIONSHIP

Watching Golf this Week: Cadillac Championship and Rory’s Apology

WGC CADILLAC CHAMPIONSHIP

Watching Golf this Week: Rory and Tiger Return at The Honda Classic

THE HONDA CLASSIC

Watching Golf this Week: The Frozen Open, or WGC Accenture Match Play Championship

WGC ACCENTURE MATCH PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP

Watching Golf this Week: Northern Trust Open

NORTHERN TRUST OPEN

Watching Golf this Week: Celebs and Pros at AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am

AT&T PEBBLE BEACH NATIONAL PRO-AM

Sign up for our Email Newsletter

Search the MSR Site

e-reports