Golf

European Tour 2016 Hero Challenge live stream: How to watch online and TV coverage

The Euro Tour will mix it up on Tuesday with a funky eight-man knockout match-play event on a par-3.

Oct 11, 2016, 2:30 PM UTC

Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Every governing body and organization in golf is trying to figure out new approaches to the game and ways to appeal to a wider audience. How can we make it more fast paced? How can we make it more entertaining? What’s a new format or event we can introduce to #disrupt the system? This is a constant and continual effort by everyone associated with the game -- yes, even the stuffy antiquated green jackets at Augusta.

The European Tour, under the new leadership of Keith Pelley, has introduced a series of “short form” experimental events that are probably worth keeping an eye on, especially during what is now known as the “silly season” of the golf calendar. Tuesday afternoon brings the first of such events, the Hero Challenge, a one-hour knockout match-play concept just two days before the start of the British Masters at The Grove. The concept may flop or it may be an encouraging success, but it’s worth applauding Pelley and the Euro Tour’s aggressive approach to mixing things up and at least giving it a try.

The challenge will take place under the lights in the U.K., starting at 7:30 p.m. local time, and airing back in the States on Golf Channel at 2:30 p.m. ET.

Format

The format is pretty simple. There are eight players in a basic, single-elimination bracket, all playing one hole -- a 145-yard par-3 specially set up just for this event at The Grove. So there will be seven one-hole matches in the bracket as the field of eight knocks each other off to one eventual winner. If players tie on the hole, e.g. both make a birdie 2 on the par-3 setup, then they will use a closest to the hole measurement on the tee shot to determine the winner.

So this is an experimental thing. You can be cynical about it -- that’s fine. It should be a crisp, hour-long event that showcases some of the better personalities on the Euro Tour, including BEEEFFFFFF.

Maybe if it works, we’ll see more of these kind of events on Tours across the world, including in the States. I don’t think this and the other short-form events that Pelley is pushing will alter the game of golf forever -- the majors will still be the majors, etc. But we just got done with an event, the Ryder Cup, that we praised for being so unique and different from every other week on Tour and hailed it as the best event in golf. These kind of games will never achieve that status, of course, but the point is, it’s worth trying even amid the cynicism. We’ll see how it goes.