Here's how the official LIV Golf website summed up the on-course Sunday action in Tulsa on what could be argued was the second-year league's best day yet down in Tulsa.
On a day filled with record-tying scores, a nearly two-hour weather delay, a drama-filled afternoon, a triple bogey by the eventual winner and a three-man individual playoff in front of the best-attended LIV Golf event held in the United States, two familiar names returned to the top of the podium at LIV Golf Tulsa.
Dustin Johnson outlasted Cam Smith and Branden Grace in extra time to capture his second win on the circuit, a perfect storm of intrigue that generated some actual buzz.
There was a bit of a problem though. A previous weather delay pushed the finish deeper into the evening and some local CW affiliates opted to show other things instead of golf once it ran past its allotted time.
Those unlucky fans could still watch on the app, but that's both a barrier to entry and a less enjoyable user experience. And it highlights a problem for LIV because the terms of their broadcast partnership with the CW are unique in the space. They are paying for the time, not the other way around like with the PGA Tour and its broadcasters.
Golf is tricky because it happens outside and it can rain. Tournaments are often finishing at unexpected times and require some adaptation. But ardent supporters are wrong if they say what happened is analgous to a PGA event switching from CBS to the Golf Channel or vice versa.
This is the best LIV could do for this round of negotiating and what went down is an inherent downside of not having a better deal. Regardless of your feelings about the whole enterprise, we can all agree its fans deserve a bit better.
This article was originally published on thebiglead as CW Affiliates Cut Away From LIV Golf Playoff To Show Other Stuff.
