PGA Championship will get blanket coverage by ESPN
If you’re frustrated that you won’t be able to attend the PGA Championship at Harding Park in San Francisco next week, ESPN has plans to ease your pain.
The cable sports network says it will offer “more coverage than ever” of golf’s first major tournament of the year.
The tournament, which opens Thursday, will be played without fans due to the coronavirus pandemic. But ESPN and its streaming service, ESPN+, will bring 134 hours of live play across all four days. ESPN and ESPN+ are in the first year of an 11-year media rights deal with the PGA.
Scott Van Pelt, who will anchor ESPN’S coverage, said Wednesday during a conference call that he’s bracing himself for some marathon sessions.
“The ability to be on the air from the first swing to the last putt, it creates some long hours,” he said. “... You can be kind of ‘hangry’ out there if you’re in the tower somewhere and you’ve been talking about golf for 14 straight hours. But I think that’s what people want. People just want to see golf.”
The final two rounds of the tournament will also be covered by CBS, which will exclusively handle afternoon play both days.
According to ESPN, viewers will get traditional coverage as well as exclusive “Featured Groups” and “Featured Hole” presentations. In addition, ESPN’S signature news and information program “Sportscenter” will have reports from the location for the entire week of the event.
Here’s a breakdown:
THURSDAY AND FRIDAY >>
ESPN and ESPN+ will offer 12 hours of live play each day from the first and second rounds of the tournament. ESPN+ will open the coverage with the first tee shot both days at 7 a.m. PT, a first for the event, and continue to follow play with traditional coverage until 1 p.m. PT. ESPN will pick up the coverage from there.
Featured Group coverage will be live on ESPN+ all day Thursday and Friday, from 7 a.m. PT until the end of play, with four featured groups throughout the day (two morning groups, two afternoon groups).
SATURDAY AND SUNDAY >>
Viewers will also have expanded weekend viewing available with five hours of morning and early afternoon play on both days, as well as exclusive Featured Group and Featured Hole coverage all day.
On Saturday, traditional coverage will stream live on ESPN+ from 8-10 a.m. PT with ESPN taking over coverage at that point.
On Sunday, ESPN+ will stream traditional coverage of final round action from 7-9 a.m., followed by three hours on ESPN .
Both Saturday and Sunday will again offer exclusive Featured Group coverage throughout the day on ESPN+ (two morning groups, two afternoon groups). Additionally, ESPN+ will bring live, exclusive Featured Hole coverage of TPC Harding Park’s No. 18. on both Saturday and Sunday. Start times for Featured Group and Featured Hole coverage will depend on tee times and the cut size and will continue on ESPN+ until the end of play.
The 102nd PGA Championship has live, first tee to final putt coverage for the first time in its history, with CBS airing afternoon play Saturday and Sunday, while exclusive Featured Group and Featured Hole coverage continues streaming on ESPN+.
The 2020 PGA Championship will mark the first time in 30 years that ESPN has covered the event (it last provided coverage in 1990).
Van Pelt will anchor ESPN’S coverage, joined in the 18th tower for analysis by former world No. 1 David Duval. Hole announcers will be Sean Mcdonough, Bob Wischusen and Dave Flemming while Tom Rinaldi will conduct player interviews.
On-course reporters will be Andy North, Billy Kratzert, Colt Knost and Olin Browne. The CBS announce crew will call play for three hours each day on Thursday and Friday.
Matt Barrie, Andrew Catalon, Brian Crowell and Luke Elvy will host Featured Group coverage with analysts Curtis Strange, Jason Bohn, Stuart Appleby and 1996 PGA Championship winner Mark Brooks. On-course reporters will be Jane Crafter, Ned Michaels and Olin Browne.
Van Pelt will also host preview programming on both Tuesday and Wednesday, Aug. 4-5, on ESPN+ that will include live coverage of select player news conferences as well as player interviews, practice round coverage and scenes from the driving range.
The preview program begins at 9 a.m. on Tuesday and 10 a.m. on Wednesday.
Boston Red Sox lefthander Eduardo Rodríguez will miss the entire season because of heart inflammation caused by COVID-19.
He has been on the injured list since mid-july and has not pitched this season.
“In the course of monitoring Eduardo after his return, we discovered that he was showing evidence of myocarditis, which is an inflammation of the heart, and fortunately, the severity of that complication looked mild,” Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom said before Saturday night’s game against the Yankees.
“We were optimistic that it would resolve in short order and that we would be progressing back to pitching. As we’ve continued to monitor it, it has not resolved. It is still there,” he said.
Rodríguez was a careerbest 19-6 last year with a 3.81. The Red Sox said July 7 the the 27-year-old had tested positive for COVID-19. HEINEMAN BROTHERS PLAY AGAINST EACH OTHER >> Giants catcher Tyler Heineman and his brother Tyler were in the Pac-12 Conference at the same time one year and also played each other in the minor leagues. But Saturday marked the first time they were in opposite dugouts at the major league level.
Heineman, a UCLA alum, was the Giants’ starting catcher, hitting eighth. Scott, a former Oregon Duck, was in center field and hitting seventh for the Rangers.
“It’s going to be special for sure. I’m very excited about it,” Tyler Heineman said before the game. “I have some nerves. I think it’s a good thing. I haven’t really let it soak in too much., It’s still the Rangers versus the Giants and the most important thing is the Giants coming away with a W.”
MANFRED STILL CONFIDENT SEASON CAN BE PLAYED >> Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred says he’s confident his sport can get through the regular season and postseason without being stopped by the coronavirus, though not every team might play all 60 games and winning percentage could be used to determine playoff teams.
During an interview Saturday, Manfred said Major League Baseball knows which player introduced COVID-19 into the clubhouse of the Marlins Marlins. Miami and Philadelphia both postponed games for an entire week.
“I think that if everybody does what they are supposed to do, we can continue to play, have a credible season and get through the postseason,” Manfred said.
Just 1 1/2 weeks into a pandemic-delayed regular season shortened from 162 games per team to 60, the coronavirus has forced 19 postponements in 11 days, including St. Louis’ threegame weekend series at Milwaukee.
BREWERS’ CAIN, MARLINS’ DIAZ OPT OUT >> Two more players are opting out of the season, casting doubt the league can complete a truncated 2020 season.
A Cardinals-brewers game in Milwaukee was postponed for the second straight day after one more player and several staff members with St. Louis tested positive for the coronavirus in rapid samples, Major League Baseball said. The staff total of positives was three, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press. MLB said results of saliva tests will not be available until later Saturday.
Milwaukee then announced that Gold Glove center fielder Lorenzo Cain will not participate in the rest of the 2020 season.
The Miami Marlins received no new positive results in their latest round of coronavirus testing, MLB said, but second baseman Isan Díaz also opted out.
The Philadelphia Phillies, meanwhile, were permitted to access Citizens Bank Park for staggered workouts beginning in the afternoon.
MLB said no Phillies players have tested positive for COVID-19 in the past week and while three staff members have tested positive, it appeared two were attributable to false positives and the third, based on the timing of the positive test, may not have contracted COVID-19 from the Marlins.
Miami will play a fourgame series in Baltimore from Tuesday through Thursday, with one game a doubleheader. The Marlins will be the home team for two games.
ALSO >> Chicago Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant was scratched from Saturday’s game against Pittsburgh because of gastrointestinal issues . ... The San Diego Padres placed first baseman Eric Hosmer on the 10-day injured list Saturday due to a stomach ailment. His condition is described by the team as gastritis, which is an inflammation of the stomach lining . ... The Chicago White Sox placed shortstop Tim Anderson on the injured list with a strained right groin and recalled catcher Yermin Mercedes from their taxi squad . ... Three-time AL Most Valuable Player Mike Trout is now a firsttime dad. The Los Angeles Angels center fielder and his wife, Jessica, announced the birth of their first child Saturday, a boy named Beckham Aaron Trout.