Golf

How to watch 2014 WGC-Accenture Match Play online, TV, radio and more

One of the most-unique events in golf begins this week with 64 of the top players in the world competing in a match play style tournament. With the star-studded field and extra attention of a WGC event, television coverage will expand, allowing viewers to watch most of the tournament live.

by Mark Sandritter

Feb 19, 2014, 1:30 PM UTC

Stuart Franklin

Sports fans are still a few weeks away from filling out their NCAA Tournament brackets, but they won’t have to wait until March Madness for a bracket-style event. Brackets and seedings will take over the golf world this week with the WGC-Accenture Match Play. Although the event lost some muster with Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Adam Scott opting not to play, the 64-player field is still loaded with many of the best players in the world. Viewers will be able to watch most of the event live, with nearly 30 hours of television coverage scheduled.

It all gets started on Wednesday with the first 32 matches of the tournament. The field will be cut in half, with 32 players taking an early exit. The first day has proven to be one of the most entertaining rounds in previous seasons, with a few notable upsets. Although players are seeded from No. 1 to No. 16, the fact of the matter is the entire field is made up of the top players in the world and there can be very little separation between players, even in a No. 1 vs. No. 16 matchup. Woods and Rory McIlroy both lost in the first round last year, despite being No. 1 seeds. Woods won’t play this year, but McIlroy is back and is once again a No. 1 seed. He’ll attempt to avoid a second straight early upset in his match against No. 16 Boo Weekley.

Despite the fact three of the top four players in the world rankings are absent, the match play format and WGC-quality field draw significant attention. As a result, television coverage is expanded from the usual February tournament schedule. Golf Channel and CBS will combine to handle the broadcast with coverage beginning on Golf Channel on Wednesday. The network will broadcast six hours of live Day 1 coverage, running from noon to 6 p.m. ET. Matches are scheduled to begin at 9:25 a.m., so viewers will miss the first two and a half hours of play. The final groups will tee off at 2:35 p.m., so the majority of the round will occur during the broadcast window.

Must Reads

Complete Match Play draw

Brendan Porath

Must Reads

Complete Match Play draw

Viewers will be able to watch all of the planned coverage live online, thanks to simulcasts from Golf Live Extra and CBSSports.com. The Golf Channel simulcast on Wednesday will run from 12 to 6 p.m. Viewers with a cable subscription that includes Golf Channel will be able to access the live stream. PGA Tour Network will provide radio coverage for the event. The Sirius-XM station will have coverage from 12 to 6 p.m. on Wednesday.

Coverage will remain steady throughout the week with Golf Channel and CBS combining to broadcast at least four hours of live coverage each day. That coverage will also be available via simulcast online while PGA Tour Network will provide daily radio coverage. Here is a complete look at the coverage schedule this week, beginning with the round of 64 on Wednesday.