Grant Thornton Invitational Subtly Answers the Women’s Golf Coverage Issues, but an Unsuspecting Factor Still Causes Major Concerns

The sporting world is eagerly waiting for the epic crossover of the LPGA and the PGA Tours. The Grant Thornton Invitational is a much-anticipated event and the first mixed-team tournament to take place after the JC Penney Classic in 1999. And the hype of the competition has risen so much that it would be covered extensively by a major network, enabling the fans to be able to watch the same in spectacular fashion. However, this naturally piques the interest of the enthusiasts in the community.

The realm of women’s golf has often faced the problem of coverage amidst the age-old issue of less viewership and interest from the sporting masses. Although the situation has gotten a bit better, the events on the circuit still lag behind the tournaments on the men’s side, even now. And, with the amount of coverage that the upcoming competition is set to receive by the networking giants, curiosity naturally arises: is the event going to be covered extensively just because of its mixed style?

The problems surrounding the LPGA Tour and its coverage that the Grant Thornton Invitational brings to light

Although the LPGA Tour boasts a more close-to-textbook style of gameplay, the women’s circuit has faced a lot of hurdles and continues to experience the same as they struggled to reach where they are now, especially in the aspect of sub-par coverage amid less viewership. However, with the upcoming crossover between the two Tours just around the corner, the NBC network has made a deal to broadcast the same on its sports channels, including Golf Channel, NBC, and Peacock (a subsidiary of NBC).

As curiosity arises regarding the extension of coverage being done at the Grant Thornton Invitational, one can’t deny the effect that men’s golf and its players have on the same. What’s more, a total of 16 golfers from each circuit are competing as part of mixed-gender teams. Players including the likes of Rickie Fowler, Lucas Glover, and Ludvig Aberg, among others, from the PGA Tour are teaming up with LPGA Tour pros such as Nelly Korda, Charley Hull, etc. Consequently, the presence of male professionals would have been a major factor in the networking giants deciding to cover the event for nine hours over three days starting on December 4.

Even after the realm of women’s golf experienced huge development, its coverage on television remains a huge cause for concern. Additionally, even the prestigious Solheim Cup, which ended a while ago, saw a tremendous amount of backlash being aimed at Sky Sports as the network went ahead to provide a not-so-satisfying broadcast of the biennial tournament to boot. Moreover, the skipper of the defeated U.S. team, Stacy Lewis, along with Matt Fitzpatrick, commented on the same as they expressed their disdain over the lack of proper support for the women’s prestigious event. What’s more, adding to the problems, Lisa Cornwell, the host of PGA Tour Live, also mentioned how the presence of only two on-course reports during the competition was a big turndown for her.

This hasn’t been the case with just the Solheim Cup, or even Sky Sports, for that matter. Their American counterparts, NBC’s Golf Channel, had received their fair share of backlash during the 2023 Hanwha LIFEPLUS International Crown for covering just the U.S. and England teams instead of broadcasting the matches of golfers from Thailand, Sweden, and Australia. Besides, even Mollie Marcoux Samaan, the LPGA Commissioner, had spoken her mind regarding the lack of coverage of the sport back in 2021. Well, after all these instances, one question naturally piques the fan’s interest: would there ever be any change to the situation?

The LPGA and its current situation

Although the viewership for the LPGA Tour is gradually growing, as can be seen at the 2023 U.S. Open, which witnessed a record-breaking average of 1.58 million viewers during its final round, much is left to be changed. Even the recent Hero World Challenge, where Tiger Woods made his comeback, saw Golf Channel broadcasting the PGA Tour’s unofficial event extensively, all the while exceeding the normal coverage of any unofficial tournament on the women’s circuit.

ALSO READ – Nelly Korda Begins Practice With Her Brother, While an Update on Her ‘Mixed Events’ Partner Still Remains a Mystery

However, hope is not lost in the golfing world, as many steps have been taken in a bid to remedy the immense partiality that the women’s golfing circuit faces in terms of the telecasting of the sport. In a recent broadcasting contract, the LPGA Tour signed a deal with ESPN for two years to stream select tournaments over the same period on their channels. Although it is not the first time that a women’s event is being aired on the $167.29 billion giant’s platform, the agreement would nonetheless elevate the sport to another level.

Well, the golfing world would surely keep an eye out for more quality coverage of the LPGA Tour on the various sports channels partnered with them. And one can hope that the upcoming broadcast of the epic crossover tournament will act as a stepping stone for women’s golf to be televised better in the future.

Watch This Story | Georgia Hall and Charley Hull let their team hang out dry, as major news unravels before $400 K event