Golf on ESPN | |
---|---|
Created by | ESPN |
Country of origin | United States |
No. of episodes | N/A |
Production | |
Running time | 180 minutes or until tournament ends |
Release | |
Original network |
ESPN ESPN2 ESPN on ABC ESPNews |
Picture format |
480i (SDTV) 720p (HDTV) |
Original release | 1979 – present |
External links | |
Website |
Golf coverage on ESPN and ESPN2 has been a regular feature of the cable sports channels' programming since soon after ESPN's launch in the United States 1979. Although ESPN no longer owns any share of the rights to the week-to-week events on the PGA Tour, LPGA Tour, or Champions Tour, it continues to televise the first and second rounds of The Masters. Outside the United States, the ESPN International network family has broadcast golf events in several countries, including the men's, women's and senior majors, World Golf Championships, The Players Championship, PGA Tour FedEx Cup and OneAsia Tour.
Beginning in 2016, ESPN no longer produces any live coverage of any PGA Tour events, after having aired at least one of the tour's events or majors in every season since 1979 (with corporate sibling ABC having done at least one event dating to 1966).
Continued from PGA Tour on ABC
Prior to 2007, ESPN and ABC shared some announcers, but the main ABC coverage team did not generally work on ESPN except for events that ABC had weekend rights to, in which case the full ABC team would work on ESPN's weekday telecasts. After losing PGA Tour rights following the 2006 season, what remained of ESPN and ABC's coverage team's merged, as did the production, with all ABC broadcasts being branded as ESPN broadcasts as part of ESPN on ABC. History of the ESPN golf team during the period when some telecasts were still shown on ABC (2007-2009) can be found at the PGA Tour on ABC article.
In 2010, all coverage was moved to ESPN, with highlight presentations being shown on ABC during the afternoons on Open Championship weekend. This meant that in 2010, for regular men's golf, ESPN showed The Masters, the U.S. Open, the Open Championship, and the Ryder Cup.