Genesis Open 2018: Time, TV schedule for Tiger Woods on Friday

The TV coverage of the PGA Tour keeps getting better. For years, there have been frustrating misses and inexplicable polices that have prevented the audience from getting what it wants most. There have been coverage gaps, or coverage misses, or restrictive policies. CBS has made significant steps to up its game. And this Friday, we’ll see another sensible step to give the people what they want. The bar shouldn’t be this low, but it’s worth applauding.

The PGA Tour and Golf Channel arranged to have their typical four-hour coverage window pushed back to ensure we’ll see the majority of the second round of Tiger Woods at the Genesis Open. It makes a lot of sense and seems obvious, but this hasn’t always been the easiest arrangement to make in previous years.

Tiger is not teeing off until noon local, or 3:02 p.m. ET. The broadcast on Thursday on Golf Channel went off the air at 6 p.m. ET, with headliners like world No. 1 Dustin Johnson and Jordan Spieth still with plenty of golf to play. It felt odd for there to be no coverage with so much of the field still on the course and it being so early in the afternoon at Riviera.

It’s a safe assumption that there would have been a social media revolt if Golf Channel had to go off the air at 6 p.m. ET on Friday, essentially right in the middle of Tiger’s second round. The pace of play in the first round was about four-and-a-half hours, so Tiger should be done sometime in the 7 p.m. hour ET. The move to go from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. will pay off on this Friday night. We may get less Spieth and DJ, who would be finishing up during the normal coverage window earlier in the afternoon. But let’s face it, this is all about Tiger.

Woods will go with Rory McIlroy and Justin Thomas at 3:02 p.m. ET off the No. 1 tee. He’s on the right side of the cut line after 18 holes, which is a better position than a few weeks ago at Torrey Pines when he spent much of the second round behind the eight-ball.

One group behind Tiger will be Phil Mickelson, playing with Matt Kuchar and Tommy Fleetwood. That’s six pretty stout names in those two tee times. So it won’t be all Tiger, but you’ll get his every shot during that four-hour coverage window. Here’s the full media schedule for Friday’s round at Riv:

4 to 8 p.m. ET — Golf Channel

9:30 a.m. ET -- PGA Tour Live starts with coverage from the range and opening holes

Featured Groups (PGA Tour Live subscription required)

4 to 8 p.m. ET -- PGA Tour Live featured holes coverage (No subscription required)

4 to 8 p.m. ET — Golf Channel simulcast stream

2 to 8 p.m. ET — PGA Tour Radio on Sirius-XM (Ch. 92/208 and streamed here)