The 44th Ryder Cup is just outside of Rome at Marco Simone Golf Club. That time change to the United States was already going to have a powerfully negative affect on television ratings.
Ryder Cup coverage on Golf Channel, USA loaded with commercials has golf fans irate
Team USA looks to mount a historic comeback but many fans aren’t sticking around to watch with the amount of commercials aired.
Photo by Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images
Then the first day of the tournament happened Friday. Team USA was embarrassed, losing 6.5 to 1.5. It was the first time in Ryder Cup history that the Americans did not win a single match during an individual day.
That shellacking the Americans suffered certainly wasn’t going to help ratings. But that’s not the only thing that will hurt.
Fans have noticed how frequently commercials are airing on USA as play begins. It’s the second straight day they seem to be happening practically every 10 minutes.
Granted, playing alternate shot with only a few groups on the course, sometimes there are not shots for the television coverage to show.
But even I, having worked in television with an understanding of the frequency of commercials, have to admit it seems a little aggressive.
Knowing that Day 2 of the Ryder Cup teed off at 1:30 a.m. EDT, a lot of fans set their alarms early to wake and up watch golf.
It probably hasn’t helped their mood that somehow the Americans have found a way to start even worse Saturday than they did Friday.
Jordan Spieth is still playing horrifically. He and Justin Thomas have lost all three holes to Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood. The second grouping isn’t any better.
Brooks Koepka and Scottie Scheffler have already lost the first two holes to Viktor Hovland and Ludvig Aberg. At this rate, the Ryder Cup will be decided before most of American has even woken up Saturday.
Kendall Capps is the Senior Editor/Site Manager of SB Nation’s Playing Through. For more golf coverage, follow us @_PlayingThrough on all major social platforms.
