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Watching Golf This Week: Plaid Ain’t Bad at the RBC Heritage

April 12, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Had your fill of all things Bubba? From pink drivers to soiled diapers to being on Letterman? Ready to watch golf again? Get ready to get bad in plaid because one week after the best jacket gets awarded the tour goes to the beaches and the Rodney Dangerfield memorial winner’s jacket — aka the big bad plaid that goes to the winner of the RBC Heritage on Hilton Head Island, S.C.

If you think lighthouse finish, you know this tour stop. For years it seemed like Davis Love III’s personal victory ATM (he’s won it five times) but now it’s known simply as the tournament after the Masters, and it usually has an above-average field. That’s largely because the players are treated like kings and what’s not to like about the Sea Pines Resort and its famed Harbour Town Golf Links course? Yeah. We’d go, too.

Here’s where to follow the action:

RBC HERITAGE

(all times Eastern)
TV COVERAGE
Thursday, April 12 — Golf Channel, 3 p.m. — 6 p.m.
Friday, April 13 — Golf Channel, 3 p.m. — 6 p.m.
Saturday, April 14 — Golf Channel, 1 p.m — 2:30 p.m.; CBS, 3 p.m. — 6 p.m.
Sunday, April 15 — Golf Channel, 1 p.m — 2:30 p.m.; CBS, 3 p.m. — 6 p.m.

RADIO
SIRIUS XM (Satellite)
12 p.m. — 6 p.m., Thursday-Sunday

ONLINE
What a letdown after gorging on Masters online coverage; there is NO live video online of the RBC. In fact the PGA’s Live@ broadcasts don’t return until the Players in early May. So you will have to get by online with…

PGA SHOT TRACKER
Get your online fix via Shot Tracker at the RBC Heritage.

TOP TWITTER FEEDS TO FOLLOW

Geoff Shackelford — well known golf writer.
Golf Channel — official Golf Channel feed
@PGATOUR — official PGA Twitter feed
@StephanieWei — great golf writer who is a Twitter fiend

LOCAL FLAVOR
Who are we to dim the plaid? Check out Willie’s World because while the tartan jacket may seem so old school it creaks, the tournament is all over Facebook and Twitter. The local paper, the Island Packet, has a special Heritage section but beware the popup ads.

WHAT’S THE COURSE LIKE?
Gotta love the lighthouse finish.

WHO WON THIS THING LAST YEAR?
Brandt Snedeker, over Luke Donald in a playoff.

FEDEX CUP LEADERS
1. Hunter Mahan, 1,378 points
2. Bubba Watson, 1322
3. Phil Mickelson, 1,136
4. Johnson Wagner, 1,056
5. Rory McIlroy, 1,045

See the full standings for the FedEx Cup points list.

WORLD GOLF RANKINGS
1. Luke Donald; 2. Rory McIlroy; 3. Lee Westwood; 4. Bubba Watson; 5. Hunter Mahan.
See the official World Golf Ranking list.

Filed Under: CBS Sports, Golf, Golf Channel, PGA Tagged With: , , ,

Watching Golf This Week: The Masters

April 4, 2012 by 3 Comments

OK golf fans, time to get interactive and help us out. We know there is no way in hell that we are going to find every outlet covering the Masters this week, but we’ll try. And with your help we can do that sharing thing that everyone loves about the Internet. So here is our “first draft” attempt, going out on Wednesday since there is going to be coverage of the par 3 event Wednesday and who doesn’t want to watch that? But instead of typing it in this post we are going to simply say:

HERE IS THE MAIN MASTERS COVERAGE LINK.

HERE IS THE MAIN CBS MASTERS PAGE.

HERE IS THE CBSSPORTS LIVE ONLINE COVERAGE PAGE.

OK, that takes care of 99 percent of your questions. Now. Unless you’ve been under a rock you know all the story angles — Tiger vs. Rory, Tiger vs. Phil, Rory vs. Keegan, who the heck is Charl Schwartzel — so we don’t need to repeat those here. The only big question left is how to watch — on broadcast or cable, where there are so few commercials you might want to keep an empty jug handy next to the couch if you know what I mean; online, where Masters.com and CBSSports.com will have seven different live streams of video; or at any one of the many live-blogging outlets. If you know of one that we don’t have listed, add it to the comments; we’ll update this post throughout the week.

Here’s where to follow the action:

THE MASTERS

(all times Eastern)
TV COVERAGE
Wednesday, April 4 (par 3 Contest, live) — ESPN, 3 p.m. — 5 p.m.
Thursday, April 5 — ESPN, 3 p.m. — 7:30 p.m.
Friday, April 6 — ESPN, 3 p.m. — 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 7 — CBS, 3:30 p.m. — 7 p.m.
Sunday, April 8 — CBS, 2 p.m. — 7 p.m.

RADIO
SIRIUS XM (Satellite)
2 p.m. — 6 p.m., Thursday-Sunday
Sirius will also have several feature shows. Check this schedule for more.

Masters.com
There will be a live streaming radio report on the Masters.com site.

ONLINE
Full live video coverage at Masters.com and CBSSports.com. Different cameras start at different times each day, so… check the schedule to see when they go live. Right now tentative start times for Thursday are: Amen Corner camera, 10:45 a.m.; Holes 15 & 16, 11:45 a.m.; Featured Groups 1 & 2, 12:00 p.m.

ESPN’s live ESPN3 coverage of the Par 3 contest

ESPN: The Worldwide Leader will be at the Masters in force, with its live coverage Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, and more online coverage goodies. Here is ESPN’s Tournament Central link. This is also a good place to check for live ESPN online coverage, via ESPN3 or the WatchESPN app for mobile devices. Remember, the WatchESPN app only available for cable subscribers of Bright House Networks, Time Warner Cable, and Verizon FiOS TV. Comcast customers are still out of luck.

ESPN also has the Putting at Amen Corner game online, as well as the popular Best Ball Majors fantasy game, which plays just like the NCAA hoops brackets. We’ll have an MSR group to join, stay tuned or follow me on Twitter @PaulKaps for more info.

Golf.com is going Masters overboard, with more content than you could possibly read. But the Sports Illustrated group of writers hanging out there may be the best covering the game right now.

PGA SHOT TRACKER
There will be NO Shot Tracker at the Masters. Too bad.

TOP TWITTER FEEDS TO FOLLOW
Dan Jenkins — golf’s Shakespeare. From Texas. Hope he is on form for the Masters. If you don’t know who he is, hit Google. And buy a few books.
Geoff Shackelford — well known golf writer is slinging Masters lore and great links.
Golf Channel — official Golf Channel feed
@PGATOUR — official PGA Twitter feed
@StephanieWei — great golf writer who is a Twitter fiend

LOCAL FLAVOR
The Augusta Chronicle knows how to play the biggest event of the year. A good bookmark.

WHAT’S THE COURSE LIKE?
Here’s an incredible service: The Masters course page has video flyovers of each hole. I think I will only spend about 80 hours on this page alone.

Want to check out the historic clubhouse? Sports Illustrated’s Golf.com has a video that takes you inside.

WHO WON THIS THING LAST YEAR?
Do you need a refresher? It was Mr. Four Birdies in a row to close, Charl Schwartzel.

FEDEX CUP LEADERS
1. Hunter Mahan, 1,314 points
2. Johnson Wagner, 1,056
3. Rory McIlroy, 1,015
4. Phil Mickelson, 988
5. Kyle Stanley, 954

See the full standings for the FedEx Cup points list.

WORLD GOLF RANKINGS
1. Luke Donald; 2. Rory McIlroy; 3. Lee Westwood; 4. Hunter Mahan; 5. Steve Stricker.
See the official World Golf Ranking list.

Filed Under: Apple, Apps, CBS Sports, ESPN, ESPN3, Golf, Golf Channel, iPad, PGA, The Masters, Tiger Woods, Twitter, WatchESPN Tagged With: , ,

Watching Golf This Week: Houston and the Last Chance for Masters

March 29, 2012 by 6 Comments

Welcome to a new feature here at MSR, something we are calling “Watching Golf this week,” at least until we come up with a better title. Anyway, what we’re doing is compiling all the ways you can watch the PGA Tour this weekend — online, on TV, on Twitter, and anywhere else we can find. Please give us a shout in the comments if you know of other outlets or have favorite columnists or reporters who follow pro golf. It’s all about sharing here so don’t be shy.

With one week to go before the Masters, this week’s Shell Houston Open is the last chance for players who don’t already have an invite to get one by either winning the event, or by doing well enough to move into the top 50 in the overall rankings, either of which will stamp your ticket to Augusta. Who’s on the bubble and needs to do well? Ernie Els, seeking a Masters title for his Hall of Fame resume, stands at No. 58 and just missed winning a couple weeks ago. Fred Couples (winner last week on the Champions Tour — ready for Augusta?) and defending Houston champ Phil Mickelson will also be on hand, so even with no Tiger the Houston stop should have its own drama worthy of watching.

Here’s where to follow the action:

SHELL HOUSTON OPEN

(all times Eastern)
TV COVERAGE
Thursday, March 29 — Golf Channel, 3 p.m. — 6 p.m.
Friday, March 30 — Golf Channel, 3 p.m. — 6 p.m.
Saturday, March 31 — NBC, 3 p.m. — 6 p.m.
Sunday, April 1 — NBC, 3 p.m. — 6 p.m.

RADIO
SIRIUS XM (Satellite)
12 p.m. — 6 p.m., Thursday-Sunday

ONLINE
No PGA Live@ coverage for Houston. But get ready for plenty of online at the Masters next week.

PGA SHOT TRACKER
This thing is addictive. Live updates of every shot, with length, where it landed, how far the player has to go to the hole. Like eating potato chips.

TOP TWITTER FEEDS TO FOLLOW
Golf Channel — official Golf Channel feed
@PGATOUR — official PGA Twitter feed
@StephanieWei — great golf writer who is a Twitter fiend

LOCAL FLAVOR
The Houston Chronicle and writer Steve Campbell has you covered for local flavor this week.

WHAT’S THE COURSE LIKE?
Check out the PGA’s Inside the Course feature for a look at Redstone Golf Club.

WHO WON THIS THING LAST YEAR?
Lefty — aka Phil Mickelson. He’ll be paired with a couple other Masters champs, Boom Boom Freddie and Charl “no nickname yet” Schwartzel.

FEDEX CUP LEADERS
1. Johnson Wagner, 1,017 points
2. Rory McIlroy, 1,015
3. Kyle Stanley, 954
4. Mark Wilson, 887
5. Phil Mickelson, 880
See the full standings for the FedEx Cup points list.

WORLD GOLF RANKINGS
1. Luke Donald; 2. Rory McIlroy; 3. Lee Westwood; 4. Martin Kaymer; 5. Steve Stricker.
See the official World Golf Ranking list.

Filed Under: Golf, Golf Channel, NBC Sports, PGA, The Masters, Tiger Woods, Twitter Tagged With: , , , , ,

Timeout Tuesday: The All-Tiger Edition

March 27, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Time for some time-wasting videos since it is Tuesday. And who better to have as a subject than the most interesting man in golf right now, Tiger Woods? Here’s a few snippets including a good recap interview following Sunday’s win at the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill, and an oldie but goodie showing Woods’ probably most historic shot at the Masters. Which, in case you didn’t know, starts in a little more than a week.

Here’s ESPN’s Tom Rinaldi, for once not having to wince while he interviews Tiger:

Want to play like Tiger? You can of course, via his new video game. And this video teaches you how to play better in the wind. In the virtual wind, that is:

And here are a couple Tiger Augusta classics… one destructive (though he still made par on the hole) and one majestic. Verne Lundquist with the classic call… “In your life have you seen anything like that?” What will happen next weekend? You’ll be watching, of course.

Filed Under: CBS Sports, ESPN, Golf, Golf Channel, PGA, The Masters, Tiger Woods Tagged With: ,

Sunday Sermon: Thanks to Tiger’s Win, We’ll All Watch the Masters

March 25, 2012 by 2 Comments

I only got to see highlights of his victory Sunday so the thing that stuck me the most was how Tiger Woods was staring down his approach shots. Holding a pose, like a hitter who was looking for a fastball and got one. With two weeks to go to the Masters, Tiger is dialed in — and that’s why we’ll all be watching, on TV, or online, when the Masters happens.

In the long run another win at the Arnold Palmer Bay Hill Invitational presented by MasterCard won’t mean much in Woods’ long string of victories. But No. 72 was more important than most given the long stretch of time between it and No. 71. November of 2009 was the last time Woods was victorious in a regular Tour event, and we all know what else happened in between. Nothing short of one of the more epic personal meltdowns and letdowns of all time. For some of that he will never be forgiven, and rightfully so. But when it comes to golf it appears Tiger is ready for some major redemption.

And whether he makes it all the way back or not — whether he resumes his chase of Jack Nicklaus and the Golden Bear’s 18 major titles — we will all be compelled to watch what is probably the best and most pure event broadcast in sports today, the Masters. If you’re watching on TV it’s nothing short of heaven, since there are so few commercials, maybe just a few an hour. It’s nonstop golf in one of the world’s premier settings.

And online, the Masters has long set the standard of what Internet coverage should be. The tournament was the first to really show different views online, including a steady diet of “Amen Corner,” which is a great way to watch — instead of the television bounce-around with a focus on the leaders the Amen Corner cams watch holes 11, 12 and 13 and you get to see every group go through there. There’s also separate “channels” for holes 15 and 16, which are interesting in their own right. There may be many things you can call the Masters “stodgy” for but online coverage isn’t one of them. Here’s Chairman Billy Payne from last year, talking about how the Masters thinks about online coverage:

We continue to work hard on our Internet presence. Our website offers the many options that its visitors have come to expect: Live, high-definition quality video, realtime scores and comprehensive coverage. But this year we have added groundbreaking enhancements with up to nine live video feeds and some truly amazing beauty sequences showcasing Augusta National at its best.

As I’ve said before over the last several years, to the extent that emerging technology is
allowed, the development of digital media will continue to be a part of our larger communications efforts and will hopefully present the Masters and the great game of golf in a unique and exciting manner.

Every year, the Masters is great viewing, either on TV or online. And now with Tiger in form, it will be even more compelling.

Filed Under: CBS Sports, ESPN, Golf, Golf Channel, The Masters, Tiger Woods Tagged With: , , , ,

Watching Golf This Week: Arnie’s in the House

March 22, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Welcome to a new feature here at MSR, something we are calling “Watching Golf this week,” at least until we come up with a better title. Anyway, what we’re doing is compiling all the ways you can watch the PGA Tour this weekend — online, on TV, on Twitter, and anywhere else we can find. Please give us a shout in the comments if you know of other outlets or have favorite columnists or reporters who follow pro golf. It’s all about sharing here so don’t be shy.

With just two weeks to go before the season’s first major, all eyes this weekend will be on prodigal son Tiger Woods, and whether or not he is healthy or capable of contending at the Masters. This weekend’s tour stop is the Arnold Palmer Invitational at the Bay Hill Club in Orlando, Fla., and Tiger has started off well on Thursday, getting to 2-under early in his round. Here’s where to follow the action:

ARNOLD PALMER INVITATIONAL PRESENTED BY MASTERCARD

(all times Eastern)
TV COVERAGE
Thursday, March 22 — Golf Channel, 3 p.m. — 6 p.m.
Friday, March 23 — Golf Channel, 3 p.m. — 6 p.m.
Saturday, March 24 — NBC, 2:30 p.m. — 6 p.m.
Sunday, March 25 — NBC, 2:30 p.m. — 6 p.m.

RADIO
SIRIUS XM (Satellite)
12 p.m. — 6 p.m., Thursday-Sunday

ONLINE
LIVE @ PGATOUR (click this link) “Watch exclusive live online coverage of all four rounds from the par—3 14th and 17th holes at the Bay Hill Club & Lodge in Orlando, Fla.”
Thursday, March 22 — 1 p.m. — 6 p.m.
Friday, March 23 — 1 p.m. — 6 p.m.
Saturday, March 24 — 12 p.m. — 6 p.m.
Sunday, March 25 — 12 p.m. — 6 p.m.

PGA SHOT TRACKER
This thing is addictive. Live updates of every shot, with length, where it landed, how far the player has to go to the hole. Like eating potato chips.

GOLF CHANNEL TIGER TRACKER (live blogging of Eldrick’s rounds)
Click here for the Tiger Tracker coverage.

TOP TWITTER FEEDS TO FOLLOW
@PGATOUR — official PGA Twitter feed
@StephanieWei — great golf writer who is a Twitter fiend

LOCAL FLAVOR
If Orlando is golf central, then the Orlando Sentinel is its oracle. Lots of tour coverage and more.

WHAT’S THE COURSE LIKE?
Check out the PGA’s Inside the Course feature for a look at Bay Hill.

WHERE ARE THE LEADERS?
Last week’s tour winner and now new No. 1 overall Luke Donald is NOT at Bay Hill this weekend, and neither is overall No. 2 Rory McIlroy. And those absences don’t sit well with the king.

WHO WON THIS THING LAST YEAR?
If you remember Martin Laird, you are a golf trivia expert. Here’s a list of past champions and tournament trivia.

FEDEX CUP LEADERS
1. Rory McIlroy, 1,015 points
2. Kyle Stanley, 954
3. Johnson Wagner, 920
4. Mark Wilson, 877
5. Phil Mickelson, 835
See the full standings for the FedEx Cup points list.

WORLD GOLF RANKINGS
1. Luke Donald; 2. Rory McIlroy; 3. Lee Westwood; 4. Martin Kaymer; 5. Steve Stricker.
See the official World Golf Ranking list.

UPDATE: Here’s Ryan Moore showing how to not have to use your putter. It’s in da hole! Watch:

Filed Under: Golf, Golf Channel, NBC Sports, PGA Tagged With: , , , , , ,
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