The Good in Golf - Issue 24.5.3

Exciting news! This year The Good In Golf is running a FREE Fantasy Golf Pool for the Major Championships. Entry is free for all readers of this newsletter, and anyone else you would like to invite.

We’re using Majors Challenge, a very user-friendly online platform. Simply pick a team of golfers playing in the tournament and follow the action on their real-time leaderboard. Full rules are available on the site.

We kick off this week with The PGA Championship.

First place wins a $100 Amazon Gift Card

To join the fun and enter our group, be sure to click the link below and create your account:

Enter The Good in Golf Majors Challenge

Good luck and have fun!

This is a MAJOR Week, and that is always a Good Thing in Golf.

It’s the PGA Championship from Valhalla Golf Club, in Louisville Kentucky.

We are not into tournament previews and making picks here. There are far better sources for that. We feel the best is the GolfStats Insider newsletter. You can get that HERE.

The PGA features a strong field, a proven golf course with a history of drama, and an unprecedented online and broadcast schedule courtesy of ESPN and CBS.

Here is what you can expect ;

In partnership with the PGA of America, CBS Sports and ESPN once again will provide live, wire-to-wire coverage of the PGA Championship Thursday through Sunday, with CBS Sports leading overall production efforts. To help bring fans closer to the action, 125 cameras and nearly 150 microphones will be positioned throughout the golf course, along with nearly 500 record channels of Hawkeye and EVS (a live replay and highlight system). Additional technology and production enhancements include:

• Fly Cams – A series of Fly Cam technology systems spanning the practice facility, the par-5 18th green, and the par-4 13th green / par-3 14th tee. The cameras will oscillate up and down to provide multiple vantage points of the golf course.

• Bunker Cameras – A collection of robotic bunker cameras will showcase unique 360-degree greenside perspectives of the par-3 14th and par-5 18th holes.

• Aerial Coverage – Multiple state-of-the-art drones will be in use as a live camera source to complement aerial coverage from the Goodyear Blimp, offering unique, scenic views from above during live action.

• Shallow Depth-of-Field Cameras – Showcasing views of players inside the ropes with a cinematic feel, CBS will deploy a shallow depth-of-field Steadicam, along with two Atlas (mini shallow depth-of-field) Steadicams.

• Falcon 360 – An immersive 360-degree camera will showcase picturesque panoramic views of Valhalla.

• Player Walk-and-Talk – A popularized CBS Sports-led innovation that debuted with Max Homa at the 2023 Farmers Insurance Open (who went on to win), coverage will include “walk-and-talk” interview capability with a player “mic’d up” inside the ropes while completing a hole.

• Toptracer – Toptracer broadcast technology will be incorporated on the practice facility in addition to all 18 holes (including tee box “high tracer” vantage points), using 3D radar tracking to provide the viewer with a true sense of distance, height and curvature. A staple of this technology will be tracing live tee shots on various holes showing the apex, ball speed, distance and curve.

• Toptracer RF – Toptracer will outfit four RF mini cameras to provide ball tracking graphics and statistics on a player’s shot from the fairway throughout the entire golf course.

• ARL Virtual Eye Side Slab Flight Track – Virtual Eye technology returns with coverage on every hole, as well as the practice facility. Virtual Eye uses Toptracer ball tracing capabilities on tee shots to provide an overhead slab view of the hole. Also returning will be full page displays detailing how golfers played certain holes during previous rounds, as well as statistical insight and virtual flyover animations, giving a second shot perspective once the ball comes to rest.

• PinPoint Wind Analysis– Numerous anemometers measuring wind speed, direction and daily wind trends will be strategically placed around the course to capture wind data on each hole and how it may influence player shot choices.

• GOLFTEC OptiMotion Swing Analysis Technology – Initially implemented during CBS Sports’ coverage of the PGA TOUR’s West Coast Swing, these swing breakdowns utilize GOLFTEC’s OptiMotion technology to present viewers with biomechanical swing data on things like hip turn and shoulder tilt, while also comparing and contrasting to other golfers.

CBS Sports coverage is led by coordinating producer Sellers Shy, along with Jim Rikhoff, and directed by lead director Steve Milton, along with Bob Matina. Chris Svendsen and Bryan Kosowski serve as replay producers. David Berson is President & CEO, CBS Sports. Harold Bryant is Executive Producer and Executive Vice President, Production, CBS Sports.

Here is the CBS Broadcast Schedule;

CBS Sports Network’s PGA Championship Programming

CBS Sports Network, the 24-hour television home of CBS Sports, will provide extensive shoulder programming surrounding the 106th PGA Championship:

• PGA Championship On the Range: Coverage will air live on CBS Sports Network from the tournament practice range on Thursday and Friday (11:00 AM, ET – 1:00 PM, ET), featuring player interviews and analysis. Shane Bacon will host and be joined by analysts Michael Breed and Brian Crowell, along with contributors Hally Leadbetter and Roger Steele.

• PGA Championship Clubhouse Report: Following the conclusion of each round (Thursday-Sunday, 8:00-9:00 PM, ET) CBS Sports Network will recap the day with highlights, analysis and player interviews. Kelly Tilghman hosts and will be joined by Steele, Breed, Crowell and Leadbetter.

• PGA Championship Replay: CBS Sports Network’s PGA Championship programming will include encores of CBS Sports’ third and final-round broadcasts of the tournament, with the third round re-airing Sunday morning (May 19) from 6:00-10:00 AM, ET, and the final round re-airing Sunday evening from 9:00 PM-3:00 AM, ET.

• PGA Championship Archives: Leading up to the first round of competition, CBS Sports Network on Monday and Tuesday (May 13-14) will air PGA Championship Archives, featuring memorable highlights of previous editions of the tournament.

CBS Sports HQ, the free 24/7 streaming sports news network, will feature previews, live updates, look-ins, recaps and more beginning Monday, May 13, with host Joe Musso alongside Kyle Porter, Michael Breed, Rick Gehman, Mark Immelman and Doug Bell. CBS SPORTS HQ SPOTLIGHT, the daily sports information show on CBS Sports Network, also will break down all the storylines and action throughout the week. Coverage from THE FIRST CUT will include shows on-site at Valhalla during the first two rounds, along with podcast recaps and extended post-round coverage on CBS Sports HQ. Additionally, CBSSports.com will provide live coverage and analysis throughout the Championship.

2024 PGA CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE

(*All times Eastern; subject to change)

ESPN will also be providing very broad coverage. Here is their complete schedule!

ESPN will present cross-platform coverage of the 106^th edition of the PGA Championship the week of May 13-19, offering golf fans multiple viewing options across ESPN and ESPN+ from Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Ky.

New this year will be an alternate betting telecast featuring ESPN BET, the official sportsbook of ESPN and newly-announced “Official Sports Betting Sponsor” of the PGA Championship. The alternate telecast, ESPN BET at the PGA Championship, will run for two hours each day during all four days of play.

Also new this year will be four additional hours of television coverage of the first and second rounds, with coverage on ESPN starting at noon ET each day, an hour earlier than previous years, and continuing until 8 p.m., an hour later than previous years. As in past years, traditional coverage will stream on ESPN+ from 7 a.m. until switching to television on both days.

And Featured Group coverage on ESPN+ on Thursday and Friday is being expanded this year with the addition of a fifth group in both the morning and afternoon waves, providing 10 groups for fans to follow.

ESPN’s PGA Championship coverage also will include the second year of an alternate telecast hosted by members of the No Laying Up golf content platform. No Laying Up hosts are five golf “fanalysts” who host one of the sports’ leading podcasts and produce some of golf’s most influential social media and digital content. PGA Championship with No Laying Up, produced by ESPN in association with Peyton Manning’s Omaha Productions, also will run two hours per day for four days.

In addition to the coverage of live play, ESPN’s signature news and information program SportsCenterwill have reports and analysis from Valhalla for the entire week of the event and ESPN.com will provide extensive digital coverage. ESPN+ will stream three-hour practice round coverage programs at noon on both Tuesday and Wednesday of tournament week. CBS will air afternoon coverage on the weekend days.

ESPN returned to the PGA Championship in 2020 after a 30-year absence.

A rundown of PGA Championship coverage across ESPN platforms:

First and Second Round Live Coverage

• More than twelve hours of live play between ESPN+ (7 a.m. – noon ET) and ESPN (noon – 8 p.m.) on Thursday and Friday, May 16-17. Will include opening tee shots and final putts each day.

• Alternate telecasts ESPN BET at the PGA Championship from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. on ESPN2 followed by PGA Championship with No Laying Up from 1-3 p.m. on ESPN2.

• Featured Group coverage exclusively on ESPN+ will have 10 groups per day on Thursday and Friday (five in the morning and five in the afternoon) from 7 a.m. through the conclusion of play.

• ESPN+ will stream Featured Holes coverage of Holes 13-14-18 at Valhalla from 7:45 a.m. through the conclusion of play.

Third and Final Round Live Coverage

• Five hours of live play between ESPN+ (8-10 a.m.) and ESPN (10 a.m. – 1 p.m.) on Saturday and Sunday, May 18-19.

• Alternate telecast PGA Championship with No Laying Up streams 9-11 a.m. on ESPN+ followed by ESPN BET at the PGA Championship from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.

• Exclusive Featured Group coverage on ESPN+ (four morning groups, two afternoon groups). Start time will be dependent upon tee times and cut size. Will stream through the conclusion of play.

• ESPN+ Featured Holes coverage of Holes 13-14-18. Start time will be dependent upon tee times and cut size. Will stream through the conclusion of play.

Commentators and Analysts

• Scott Van Pelt will anchor live play coverage on ESPN and ESPN+, joined in the 18^th tower for analysis by former world No. 1 David Duval. Former U.S. Open champion Geoff Ogilvy will provide analysis for part of each day while Bob Wischusen and Dave Flemming also will serve as anchor at times over the four days.

• Hole announcers will be Curtis Strange, Bob Wischusen and Dave Flemming.

• Michael Eaves and Marty Smith will conduct player interviews and Jeff Darlington will contribute with reporting and storytelling.

• On-course reporters will be Andy North, Billy Kratzert, Suzy Whaley, Ken Brown and John Maginnes.

• The CBS announce crew will call play for two hours each day on Thursday and Friday.

• Featured Groups announcer teams: George Savaricas and Scott Verplank; Will Haskett and Jeff Sluman; Peter Burns and Carl Paulson; Taylor Zarzour and Mark Brooks; Wes Durham and Colin Swatton; Chantel McCabe and Steve Melnyk; Eric Rothman and Paul Stankowski; and Dave Feldman and Mark Wilson

• On-course reporters for Featured Groups will be Ned Michaels, Ken Brown, Andy North, Graham DeLaet, Steve Scott, Ewan Porter, Matt Every and Gary Christian.

• Announcers for the Featured Holes stream on ESPN+ will include Matt Barrie, Geoff Ogilvy, Justin Kutcher, Mark Donaldson, Jane Crafter, Shane Bacon, John Maginnes and Suzy Whaley.

PGA Championship Alternate Telecasts

• Alternate telecasts to complement main coverage will be presented four hours per day for all four days of competition.

• ESPN BET at the PGA Championship — alternate betting telecast featuring ESPN BET, the official sportsbook of ESPN and newly-announced “Official Sports Betting Operator” of the PGA Championship.

  • Will feature golf-related betting discussion among the featured groups, with live betting analysis around hole-by-hole scores, afternoon previews, tournament futures (tournament winner, make/miss cut, etc.), and more.

  • On-site commentary from ESPN senior golf analyst Michael Collins, SportsCentercommentator and sports betting analyst ‘Stanford’ Steve Coughlin and additional ESPN golf hosts and analysts.

  • ESPN sports betting analysts Tyler Fulghum and Joe Fortenbaugh will join the programs from offsite with contributions from fellow betting analyst Anita Marks.

• PGA Championship with No Laying Up produced by ESPN in association with Peyton Manning’s Omaha Productions.

  • No Laying Up hosts are five golf “fanalysts” who host one of the sport’s leading podcasts and produce some of golf’s most influential social media and digital content.

  • No Laying Up crew first hosted an ESPN alternate telecast at last year’s PGA Championship.

ESPN+ Practice Round/Preview Programs Tuesday-Wednesday

• ESPN+ will stream Tuesday at the PGA Championship and Wednesday at the PGA Championship, a pair of three-hour live practice round/preview programs that will begin at noon ET each day.

• Matt Barrie will host the Tuesday program and Michael Eaves will host Wednesday. Joining them will be analyst Curtis Strange as well as ESPN’s reporters, all on location at Valhalla.

• The programs will include coverage of select player news conferences as well as player interviews, live shots of player practice rounds and scenes from the driving range.

• Player groupings for the PGA Championship will be revealed on Tuesday and will be announced during that day’s preview show on ESPN+ as well as on SportsCenter.

SportsCenter

• SportsCenter will have reports from the PGA Championship beginning Monday, May 13, and continuing through the conclusion of the tournament.

• Michael Eaves and Matt Barrie will anchor the reports, joined by ESPN golf analysts and reporters including North, Strange, Ogilvy, Collins, Smith and Darlington from Valhalla.

• During live play on ESPN+ on Thursday and Friday morning, Barrie will host live reports from the PGA Championship on SportsCenter until 10 a.m.

ESPN Features for SportsCenter and ESPN+ Preview shows

• Scottie Scheffler – The World No. 1 just earned his second green jacket and is winning at a record pace garnering comparison to the Tiger Woods era. (Marty Smith)

• Michael Block – The story of the club pro who emerged as a contender at the PGA Championship last year and how he looks back at it a year later. (Jeff Darlington)

• The Rory Drought – It was 10 years ago at this venue that Rory McIlroy won his last major. Why major No. 5 has become so difficult for him. (Smith)

• Playing Through The Darkness – In a wild and memorable scene, Rory McIlroy edged out Phil Mickelson at Valhalla (this year’s venue) to win his fourth major. (Smith)

• Tiger Woods/Valhalla – Almost 25 years ago, Tiger Woods famously outlasted a virtual unknown Bob May in extra holes, famously capping it with running after and pointing at his putt. One of the lasting and great images of the Tiger era. (Darlington)

• The State of Tiger’s Game – In April, Tiger Woods finished last of those that made the cut at the Masters. So what is the state of his game now? (Darlington)

The PGA Championship on ESPN.com

• ESPN.com will have exclusive news, columns and analysis before, during and after the PGA Championship.

• Writers Mark Schlabach and Paolo Uggetti on location at the event.

The PGA Championship on Get Up

The ESPN morning program Get Up (weekday mornings, 8-10 a.m. on ESPN), hosted by Mike Greenberg, will have live interviews with ESPN analysts and reporters from the PGA Championship during the week of the event. Get Up also will have some live look-ins at in-progress play on Thursday and Friday.

The PGA Championship on ESPN Radio

ESPN Radio programs will have live interviews from the PGA Championship with ESPN’s golf analysts and reporters during the week.

PGA Championship Films on ESPN+

An archive of 44 official PGA Championship films, documenting some of the most memorable and exciting PGA Championships, is available on demand on ESPN+. The collection includes Tiger Woods’ epic win at Valhalla in 2000, Bob Tway’s hole out from a bunker at Inverness to beat Greg Norman in 1986, Collin Morikawa winning his first major at Harding Park in 2020, and more.

ESPN International Coverage – Latin America and Caribbean

ESPN’s coverage of the PGA Championship will be available to more than 50 countries, and fans can watch wall-to-wall coverage on ESPN’ television, online, mobile and broadband platforms.

• In Latin America and the Caribbean, ESPN will broadcast more than 25 hours of live coverage of the PGA Championship on its linear channels across the region in English, Spanish and Portuguese.

• Digitally, STAR+ – ESPN’s direct-to-consumer platform available in Spanish and Portuguese-speaking Latin America, and ESPN’s broadband service in the Caribbean – ESPN Play ––  will stream network simulcast coverage of the PGA Championship.

• In addition, starting on Tuesday May 14, STAR+ & ESPN Play will provide hundreds of hours of exclusive LIVE streaming coverage – including live coverage of practice rounds, player interviews, alt-casts and comprehensive live coverage of Featured Groups and Featured Holes during all four rounds of the event.

ESPN International Coverage – Canada 

• TSN delivers comprehensive live coverage of all four rounds on its linear channels in Canada.

• Exclusive wall-to-wall live digital feeds – including Featured Groups and Featured Holes – will be streamed on TSN+.

• TSN’s PGA Championship coverage begins with “Tuesday at the PGA Championship,” streaming live on TSN+.

• Reporter Bob Weeks, former Canadian pro golfer Graham DeLaet, and Golf Talk Canada co-host Mark Zecchino will be on site to provide live PGA Championship updates and analysis for SportsCentre.

Lots of coverage for sure!

Looking forward to a GREAT PGA Championship!