One of the most anticipated golf events in the sport was barely viewed by fans on Saturday.
In a rather unprecedented move, the third round of the Masters was taken off the air just 15 minutes after CBS began its broadcast. Despite a torrential downpour, the Masters was still able to get in a full morning’s worth of play before CBS broadcasted from Augusta National at 3 p.m. ET.
In doing so, CBS left fans to fend for themselves. If fans wanted to follow the leaders of the tournament, they were going to have to do so on their own accord, live-streaming the event online — and even then — the featured groups online did not show the final group of John Rahm and Brooks Kopeka before the weather gave way and suspended play during the third round. So, if fans wanted to follow Rahm or Kopeka, the only way they would’ve been able to do so was by manually putting the two golfers into their “My Group” on the Masters’ website.
Sounds like a lot of holes to jump through just to watch the third round at Augusta, as CBS stuck by its regular programming of pre-taped shows on Saturday. All in all, those who tuned into CBS on Saturday afternoon got to see the leaders of the tournament play one hole during the third round.
Naturally, fans were not pleased with CBS, as the network missed the mark with its coverage, even with the ongoing possibility of weather delaying play at Augusta.
https://twitter.com/Moneyline_Mac/status/1644783249875521539?s=20
Glad CBS got 15 minutes of full coverage in at the #Masters and chose not to make the leaders a feature group.
— Carter (@cartergraham29) April 8, 2023
CBS and ESPN should fire whoever is responsible for this years coverage of the Masters. You knew they were going to have delays this afternoon so they started the players early but you don’t move up coverage to match it. So you have 15 minutes of live action today… yridiculous
— Jake Olson (@JakeOlson61) April 8, 2023
That is a wrap, CBS totally blew it, so did the #Masters abysmal coverage, couldn't even show live feed of Brooks and Rahm, only players that basically mattered
— Adam McGinnis (@adammcginnis) April 8, 2023
The most prestigious golf event in America:
2 hours of playing in horrendous conditions with no coverage of the leaders
15 mins of shots on CBS and we call a weather delay.
A tradition unlike any other, The Masters…
— Blizzy™ (@THEblizzyblaine) April 8, 2023
Which of the 15 minutes of live CBS coverage of the Masters today was your favorite?
— Hugo Stiglitz (@jfahr) April 8, 2023
CBS Saturday Masters coverage
1-3: old highlights during live play
3-3:15: live coverage
3:15-7: replay of 1-3 live play— Stuckey (@Stuckey2) April 8, 2023
If golf fans and CBS want to find out how to spin Saturday’s disaster positively, play being suspended has opened the door for 12 hours of coverage on Sunday. On the flip side of things, that’s just about every golf lover’s dream, especially when considering the prestigiousness of the event.
The third round of the Masters will resume Sunday at 8:30 a.m. ET on CBS. This time around, CBS will air its live coverage beginning at 8:30 a.m. and through the conclusion of the third round. The final round is expected to begin at 12:30 p.m., with the live broadcast remaining from 2:00-7:00 p.m., as the network had originally scheduled.
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.