Golf Channel faced criticism from social media users and the press for not providing live coverage of Scottie Scheffler’s arrest before the PGA Championship’s second round. The network had announced that they would have comprehensive coverage of the situation on Friday’s ‘Live From’ Golf Channel show, but many questioned why they did not break in with live coverage when ESPN was airing live reports from Jeff Darlington.
Golf Channel defended their decision not to have live coverage, citing broadcast restrictions that prevented them from going on air while play was underway at the tournament. Tee times were initially set for as early as 7:15am, but were delayed due to a pedestrian fatality. ESPN had the early round coverage of the PGA Championship, further limiting Golf Channel’s ability to provide live updates.
The “Live From” studio show wrapped up Thursday coverage around 10pm, and their talent and production crews were not on site at Valhalla Golf Club when the story first broke at 6:35am. With limited time to prepare before play began, Golf Channel was not scheduled to go live again until 7:30pm on Friday, after play concluded. However, GolfChannel.com focused their top stories on the Scheffler situation, indicating the impact of the news on the golf community.
