ESPN to Broadcast the 107th PGA Championship from Quail Hollow
ESPN and ESPN+ will provide extensive live coverage of the 107th PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, N.C.,next week. The first and second rounds on Thursday and Friday,May 15-16,will be broadcast live from the first tee to the last putt.Weekend coverage will also be available on ESPN. ESPN+ will offer Featured Groups and Featured Holes coverage throughout all four days of the tournament. In total, over 225 live hours of play will be available across ESPN and ESPN+. Additional coverage will be featured on SportsCenter, ESPN.com,and other ESPN platforms. ESPN will also offer an alternative telecast for four hours each day of the competition.
During a media conference call, ESPN golf analyst Curtis Strange and host Scott Van Pelt discussed the upcoming championship, highlighting key storylines and their excitement for the event.
Van Pelt emphasized the chance to bring fans thorough coverage, stating, “People love to see golf shots. We come on early and let it rip for all day long.” He also noted the compelling storylines heading into the tournament, including the success of players like Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas, Scottie Scheffler, and Bryson DeChambeau as the Masters.”You couldn’t ask for much more in terms of storylines,” Van Pelt said.
Strange echoed Van Pelt’s enthusiasm, adding, “The Masters is a great, great week, obviously, to be a part of that, but this is our people, our announcers, our production for the first couple days and early on the weekend. It’s good to be around everybody all day long.” He also suggested that McIlroy’s recent victory at the Masters puts him in a strong position to contend for the Grand Slam this year.
When asked about who might be the next to achieve the Career Grand Slam, Strange mentioned Scottie Scheffler and Jordan Spieth as potential candidates. Van Pelt added Morikawa and Rahm to the list.
Van Pelt also discussed the contrasting entertainment styles of Spieth and dechambeau, describing Spieth’s on-course dialogue as relatable and DeChambeau as embracing the “people’s champ” persona.
Regarding McIlroy’s mental game, Strange believes that working with mental coach Bob Rotella has helped him relax and focus on enjoying the game.
Both analysts agreed that the field is wide open,but Strange predicted a strong showing from McIlroy and scheffler.
Van Pelt highlighted the importance of golf coverage to ESPN and praised producer Mike McQuade for his contributions to the network’s golf programming.
Strange emphasized the significance of major championships for both players and broadcasters,stating,”This is a major for the players,and everybody in Charlotte is excited to have a PGA come there. But from Scott to myself to our entire team, this is a major for us, too.”
When asked about Joaquin Niemann’s potential, Strange noted that Niemann needs to play more regularly against top players on major stages to further develop his game. Van Pelt expressed confidence that Niemann’s talent will eventually translate to success in major championships.
