TNT's golf coverage was produced by Turner Sports and consisted of television broadcasts of some of the key professional golf events in the United States. Most recently, TNT had the cablerights to the PGA Championship under a contract with the PGA of America. The channel has generally only carried major competitions, as opposed to the other week-to-week tournaments which are under the auspices of the PGA Tour, an organization which is independent of the PGA of America. On October 10, 2018, it was announced that ESPN would replace TNT as the PGA Championship's cable partner beginning in 2020, with CBS remaining broadcast television rightsholder. This deal left TNT without any golf coverage.
However, in May 2020, following the Covid-19 pandemic, TNT gained the rights to “Capital One’s The Match 2: Tiger Woods and Peyton Manning vs. Phil Mickelson and Tom Brady”. The event took place May 24 at the Medalist Golf Club in Hobe Sound, Florida. The regular TNT golf team from the 2019 PGA covered the event, in addition to NBA on TNT analyst Charles Barkley and PGA Tour player Justin Thomas. TNT had previously produced coverage of the original “The Match” event between Woods and Mickelson in 2018, however that aired only on pay-per-view. Like the original, “The Match 2” featured all players mic’d up, and also provided earpieces to allow the players, from their custom-designed golf carts, to chat with the members of the broadcast booth who were in the 18th tower. The telecast, which was delayed slightly by rain, peaked at 6.3 million viewers, and averaged 5.8 million for the afternoon. The 3pm EDT Sunday broadcast was the highest rated and most watched golf event ever to air on a cable channel, meaning the telecast beat every Thursday and Friday round in PGA Tour history including TNT’s own coverage of the British Open, PGA Championship, and Presidents Cup.
Past coverage
In the past, TNT owned cable rights to the Open Championship, as well as the Women's British Open and Senior British Open, from 2003 to 2009, replacing ESPN. TNT carried the first two rounds of the PGA Championship through 2019, with Turner having covered the event since 1991, at first on TBS and later TNT. TNT also carried the biennial PGA Tour-managed Presidents Cup from 2000 to 2007; Golf Channel assumed those rights beginning with the 2009 event as part of its overall deal for PGA Tour cable rights. TNT also broadcast the first two rounds of the Target World Challenge from 1999–2002, and the first three rounds of the five-round Bob Hope Chrysler Classic from 1995–98, along with other select events. Beginning in 2004, TNT as well as CBS, began broadcasting the PGA Championship in HDTV, although some cameras used SD widescreen through 2006. Meanwhile the Open Championship was shown in widescreen SD from 2004 through the end of TNT’s run in 2009. The 2007 Presidents Cup was mostly in HD, with a handful of SD widescreen cameras also being used.
2003-2004: 19 - When TNT took over the cable package for the British Open in 2003, they started providing 2 hours of early morning coverage on both weekend days prior to the start of ABC's air-time.
2005-2006: 20
2007-2009: 19
PGA Championship
1991-1996: 16 - When TBS took over the cable package for the PGA Championship in 1991, they increased the weekday coverage to 6 hours per day. TBS also added 2 hours of Saturday and Sunday coverage.
1997: 17
1998: 17
1999-2005: 17
2006-2009: 18
2010: 19
2011-2013: 18 - Because inclement weather stopped play during the third round of 2012 PGA Championship on Saturday, TNT added coverage starting at 8 a.m. ET on Sunday.
Former commentators
Play-by-play: Ernie Johnson Jr. - Beginning with the 1995 PGA Championship, Johnson became the primary golf anchor for Turner.
Verne Lundquist - During the 2006 PGA Championship, Lundquist filled in on TNT for Ernie Johnson, Jr., who was undergoing chemotherapy. During TNT's Sunday coverage of the 2011 PGA Championship, Lundquist once again stepped in for Johnson after Johnson's father died. On both occasions, Lundquist was already on-site as a tower announcer for CBS's coverage.
Craig Sager - Sager was the main golf interviewer and essayist during the early years of Turner's coverage.
Mike Tirico - During the 2006 Open Championship, Tirico filled in for Ernie Johnson, Jr., who was undergoing chemotherapy. Tirico was also hosting ABC's coverage that week, leading to 11-hour shifts for him.
Matt Winer
TBS era :
Gary Bender
Mary Bryan - For the 1996 PGA Championship, former LPGA player Bryan moved over from CBS to join the TBS team.
Donna Caponi
Bobby Clampett - By the 1996 PGA Championship, Clampett once again assumed the lead Turner analyst role, having previously served in that capacity in 1991. When TNT took over the Thursday and Friday rounds of the British Open from ESPN beginning in 2003, Clampett anchored the TNT coverage with Ernie Johnson, Jr.
