After an eventful opening at the Kapalua Plantation course in Maui, the PGA Tour stops in Honolulu for an extended stay in Hawaii. Kevin Kisner, who grabbed all the headlines for his cheeky jibes from the NBC Booth, will return to the greens along with Jordan Spieth, Will Zalatoris, and the last the Sentry champion, Chris Kirk at the 2024 Sony Open.
The $8.3 million purse event, almost a $6 million bump over the European Tour’s season opener in the UAE, will kick off on January 11. Rory McIlroy, obviously, is in Dubai. But there is no dearth of stars in the 144-man field as Si Woo Kim returns to defend his title. Last year’s Open Champion, Brian Harman, and 2019 U.S. Open winner Gary Woodland are making a comeback as well. If a Hawaii vacation is not on your cards, here is how you can catch all the action live from your home.
TV Schedule for the 2024 Sony Open
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Golf Channel will broadcast the proceedings live from Waiʻalae Country Club. As usual, the time remains the same for the first three rounds. Notably, similar to the Sentry, the final round will end at 8 p.m. ET before prime time kicks in.
The first full-field event of the 2024 season is upon us.
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) January 10, 2024
- Thursday (1st Round): 7-10:30 p.m. (Golf Channel).
- Friday (2nd Round): 7-10:30 p.m. (Golf Channel)
- Saturday (3rd Round): 7-10:30 p.m. (Golf Channel)
- Sunday (Final Round) 4-6 p.m. (NBC), 6-8 p.m. (Golf Channel)
The Tour’s decision to move ahead with its schedule, apparently to avoid a clash with the NFL, caused widespread debate last week. Analysts pointed out that it betrays the management’s lack of confidence in their product.
Moreover, the channel-hopping in the final round was a pain in the neck for traditional golf fans, in addition to the long-standing criticism that NBC prioritizes commercials over the actual game. But you can avoid all that with an ESPN+ subscription.
Streaming options for the Sony Open
The 2024 Sony Open will be streamed live on ESPN+. Disney’s sports streaming service signed a deal with the Tour back in 2020 for a reported $75 million per year, taking over the live-streaming mantle from NBC Sports.
Hideki Matsuyama didn't need to see it.
He just needed to hear the roar to know it was good.#TOURVault pic.twitter.com/QLuLbPhdc7
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) January 11, 2024
On ESPN+, you can choose from four parallel streaming options. The Main Feed will cover the best actions from the event. Whereas, the Featured Holes pick the iconic holes from the course with a combination of par-3s.
On the other hand, the Tour picks a highlighted group for each round and shows all the actions of that specific group under the Marquee Group option. Lastly, in the Featured Group, the Tour covers two sets of pairings simultaneously. Here is the list of featured groups and featured holes for the first two rounds released by the Tour.
Featured Groups
Thursday
- 12:50 PM.: Brian Harman, Matthew Fitzpatrick, and Justin Rose
- 1 PM.: Chris Kirk, Si Woo Kim, Hideki Matsuyama (After the morning group: Ludvig Åberg, Sahith Theegala, and Akshay Bhatia)
Friday
- 12:50 PM: Eric Cole, Will Zalatoris, Keegan Bradley
- 1 PM: Ludvig Åberg, Sahith Theegala, Akshay Bhatia (After the Morning Group: Brian Harman, Matthew Fitzpatrick, and Justin Rose)
Featured Holes
- Thursday: No. 16 (par 4)
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- Friday: No. 16 (par 4)
Moreover, you can also catch all the action live from Hawaii with a Fubo subscription. Alternatively, you can sign up for a free trial to catch the actions live. Moreover, Peacock will also offer the simulcast of ESPN+ and Golf Channel’s coverage.
Read More: 2024 Sony Open: Power Rankings, Defending Champion, Prize Money, and More
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For the first time, the PGA Tour has kick-started its season with the Aloha swing. The second event on the calendar will also determine which golfers have a better shot at teeing up at the next Signature event in Pebble Beach.
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