Surely there must be a way to have all of the major golf championships contested in the United States’ Pacific Time Zone, right?
For this Eastern Time Zone fella, it was once again a treat to watch prime time action from the left coast as dusk turned to nightfall where I reside. That both Saturday and Sunday’s action was compelling until the end of the air time was a happy bonus.
Whether NBC planned to televise Thursday and Friday until the 11 o’clock hour (ET) or perhaps it was due to the ongoing Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike (I fully support my fellow union siblings, by the way) or the rapid conclusions of both the NHL and NBA playoffs, really made no difference. It was just enjoyable to watch some live golf before going to bed each night.
And, the action was as good as any summer comedy or drama any Hollywood network producer could have concocted anyhow.
- Could the pair of Americans, Rickie Fowler and Xander Shauffele, who set a blistering 8-under pace the early part of Day 1 keep it together for 54 more holes? No, they could not.
- Could one of the members of the breakaway LIV Golf circuit bring home a second consecutive major championship? No, they could not.
- Could World #1 & #2, Scottie Sheffler and Jon Rahm, make up enough ground after some mid-tourney wobbles to post a low number? No, they could not.
- Could World #3 and the player most-desperately seeking his next major championship, Rory McIlroy, finally win another major? No, he could not.
- Could Wyndham Clark, the guy near the top of the leaderboard most of the weekend, keep his head about him and finish off his first major? Yes, he could.
All of which begs the question: We know the PGA Championship and the US Open rotate to different venues, how do we get August National Golf Club and any of the various Open Championship courses replicated somewhere along the Pacific to satiate this newfound need of primetime golf viewing?