Penske Performance: Driving powers Gotterup, fails Matsuyama at WM | Golf Channel

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1. 

   @marklabranchedaly8901 4 weeks ago

   apologies upfront for length of this note/rant, but need to get this off my mind. if you happen to know someone at CBS, please share:

   dear CBS TV golf team…when did you anoint yourselves as more knowledgeable than the participants in PGA tour competitions you “cover”? is second guessing players’ decisions all you have to offer? And by “cover” I mean literally sticking the camera into the face of the players who are in contention, and no one else. also, when did it become acceptable for you to abuse your privilege of your folks being inside the ropes? that privilege should only be on specific/planned holes, where the competitors know what to prepare for or expect. please explain why players now need to deal with added logistic of needing to maneuver around you (commentators and cameras) to prepare and play their shots. don’t you remember the Dustin Johnson ‘moment’ when in the middle of his second shot, in his back swing, on his 72 hole of a US Open, a cameraman’s battery alarm went off. Dustin turned around, right after the ball was in the air (a shot which thankfully he stuck to 6 feet) and said “you’ve got to be kidding me”. did we learn anything then? all of you should be rarely seen, and less often heard. don’t give a hoot about hearing what your commentators might do, based on their past experiences and credentials, however impressive those might be. not important and not needed given the task at hand of providing “coverage” vs opinions. Take a lesson from any the DP World Tour broadcast and their classy crews for tips on how to provide visibility and capture the nuances of the sport without getting in the way. their handling of their broadcasts (in a lighter shade, remembering it is a game) is more of a visceral experience of the environmental, physical, and psychological aspects. plus overall they do a better job of displaying the holes and the character of the course itself. might be good to just pretend that your one of the many cordial spectators who are there to watch and hear the sounds of golf being played. no one wants to hear your speculations of what you think is being discussed between the golfers and their caddies…just point the sound gun and shut-up. folks want to hear those discussions, and how they’re strategizing/processing their shots/round.

   as if to punctuate how awful the telecast had gone, the most egregious moment took place. as the tournament leader (Hedeki Matsuyama) on the 72nd hole (sound familiar??) was attempting to execute/stroke THE most critical shot of his round at that point, and what??? the blimp decides to cast its shadow over his putt and line. wondering, is the blimp really needed at that moment? managing the location of their shadow is their only logistic..sad. again, don’t we have drones now providing overheads? btw, would like to hear from the players what they think of the drones…anyway, that incident (an obviously unintentional mistake) does reflected the deteriorated condition of your understanding about golf coverage. the fact that the incident might have actually even caused the actual outcome of the entire tournament is just insane.

   Jim Nance I think you’re awesome, but just ask your buds Lanny Watkins or Freddie Couples on the state of the televised game. They would never had put up with the current BS (total crap) and would have taken a club and chased members of your team off the course. If you need a consultant on this, why not chat with Tiger. he certainly wouldn’t tolerate it and you don’t want to get that stare. you (CBS) should issue a public apology to Hedeki and his entire team for your incompetence (even being unintentional). lack of understanding your job is destroying the integrity and displays disrespect of our game of golf and it’s professionals (players and caddies) who participate.