The PGA Tour made a big move Monday with the announcement that ESPN would carry coverage of this week’s Farmers Insurance Open and Brooks Koepka’s return. ESPN will simulcast the “Main Feed” on PGA Tour Live from noon ET to 3 pm ET on both Thursday and Friday and will also make it available on both Disney+ and Hulu.
The news raised questions with several golf sources: Is this a one-off for Koepka’s return? Or is it a glimpse at what the future could look like under new CEO Brian Rolapp? It likely won’t be an every-week move, but it’s possible to view this as a test for bigger tournaments in the future.
The move puts the tour on the ESPN with virtually no added legwork on the ground in San Diego, and it drives potential new subscriptions to the PGA Tour Live product. It could in theory drive more eyeballs to Golf Channel when it picks up coverage after the exclusive noon-3pm ET window closes. And finally, if all goes well, it gives Rolapp another talking point as the tour begins negotiating its next rights deal.
