Olympic golf 2016: Time and TV schedule for Round 3

Golf has not been a part of the Olympics in 112 years. Televisions, we’re pretty sure, did not exist the last time the sport was in the games. So for it’s return more than a century later, the modern TV partners were going to make sure every shot could be shown.

Much like they did for The Open Championship last month, Golf Channel, the Comcast sister of NBC, is going live from the very first group. It is the Golf Channel, after all, so this is kind of their thing and they just so happen to be under the same umbrella as the network that has the American TV rights.

So Golf Channel will be live by 6:30 a.m. ET on Saturday. There’s no cut at this event. We started with only 60 players and it would be silly to try and cut that down at the midpoint. The event will operate on the same schedule all four days, with that first group going off No. 1 tee at 6:30 a.m. ET and the final group just after 10 a.m. ET. They will be kept in groups of three and the last trio should finish just before 3 p.m. on Golf Channel.

The broadcast has lagged at times through the first two days and that was expected. It’s a small field and many of the top players in the world are missing. The coverage can get sluggish even for a major, when all the stars are in attendance and the field size is at 156. Golf Channel, however, is going to keep running from the very first group’s tee shots all weekend. That’s not something you’d get a major -- those tee times are longshots, the players at the very bottom of the leaderboard. But again, this is the first golf in the Olympics in 112 years so there’s no need to get picky. Just show it all.

Here are all your media options for Saturday’s third round from Rio:

All times Eastern

Events: Men’s competition, 6:30 a.m.

TV: Golf Channel, 6:30 a.m. to approx. 3 p.m.

Online Streaming: