Golf

How to watch the Honda Classic live online, TV schedule, radio and more

The Florida Swing has arrived and with it comes loaded fields and no more CBS inanities.

Feb 25, 2016, 11:30 AM UTC

David Cannon/Getty Images

The PGA Tour has finally returned to the Eastern time zone. The end of February brings about the end of the West Coast swing and the beginning of the Florida swing. As far as venues go, the tracks in Florida are a bit of a drop off compared to some of the scenic and historic tracks out west. But these Florida stops draw some loaded fields with all the biggest names kicking into full Masters prep mode.

The Florida swing starts with the Honda Classic, once an afterthought in the annual PGA Tour route but now a powerhouse on the schedule. This Palm Beach area event draws one of the better fields all year, with even Tiger Woods, the South Florida local, blessing it in recent years. We know the best in the world will play the WGC down the road in Doral, and most show up to pay homage to Arnold Palmer at Bay Hill. Add in the Honda Classic’s ascendance, and the Florida swing has become one of the best non-major stretches of the year.

The start of the Florida swing also brings a change in the coverage. NBC takes over as the primary broadcaster, relieving CBS, which will now focus on college hoops until the Masters. The NBC takeover will be a welcome sight for many, as the criticisms of CBS’ coverage seemed to hit a fever pitch this year. The vitriol had never been hotter and more prevalent in recent weeks, with the shortcomings summed up in this post on No Laying Up. So, the bar will be set pretty low for Johnny Miller, Roger Maltbie and new NBC star hire David Feherty.

Aside from some of that talent, the biggest benefit of the switch to NBC is that there’s no coverage gap now on the weekends. This is that annoying blackout period as the broadcast switches from Golf Channel to CBS. It’s supposed to last a half hour but almost always goes significantly longer as college basketball runs over time on CBS. In recent weeks, we’ve missed the leaders at Pebble Beach playing the historic stretch of Nos. 6-8 on that course, maybe the most beautiful golf holes in the world.

At Riviera, we missed many of the stars and leaders playing No. 10, the most famous par-4 on tour. It’s a frustrating quirk of golf coverage but because NBC and Golf Channel are sister networks under the Comcast umbrella, there’s no need for this blackout stretch to switch in graphics and talent. The transition is seamless.

In addition to the improved TV coverage, there will also be multiple streams to watch all week. NBC and the Golf Channel will have their usual simulcast stream all four days, and PGA Tour Live will provide a mix of featured groups and featured holes streams. The featured groups start bright and early on Thursday and Friday, just after 7 a.m. ET now that we’ve swung back to the east. Phil Mickelson, Rickie Fowler and Rory McIlroy are the biggest names that will be featured on this stream throughout the first two rounds.

On the weekend, PGA Tour live will switch to a featured holes stream, focusing on the two par-3s at that infamous “Bear Trap” stretch at PGA National. Those three holes, Nos. 15-17, always change the dynamic of your round and there’s plenty of carnage to watch each day. So, that could be a fun alternate screen to the TV coverage. Here are all your media options for the week:

(all times ET)