LIV Golf’s awkward broadcast end kept fans from watching playoff

Golf

By Andrew Crane

May 15, 2023 | 8:46pm

Some LIV Golf fans didn’t get to see the end of the thrilling Tulsa event, where Dustin Johnson took the title in a playoff.

Instead, according to Awful Announcing and other reports, the CW broadcast cut from LIV Golf to a variety of shows also aired by the channel — with Miami reportedly getting “The Goldbergs,” Buffalo reportedly getting an infomercial for skincare and New York City reportedly getting “Penn & Teller: Fool Us” among other transitions.

“Now for some of the CW affiliates across the United States who have to leave us now, please switch to the CW app and cwtv.com to continue watching this thrilling finish in Tulsa,” one of the broadcasters said around 6:30 p.m.

Viewers also chimed in on social media, noting some of the different shows they were presented with instead of watching Johnson, Cameron Smith and Branden Grace on the 18th hole again in the playoff.

LIV Golf has struggled to bring in rating for CW.

Earlier in the final round, Johnson collected a triple bogey on the 10th hole — a par-3 — and trailed until he converted his birdie on the 18th to tie Smith and Grace.

Then, from near the edge of the green, Johnson sank a birdie putt that held to secure his second LIV Golf title, which was his first of the current season and first since September 2022.

“Everything I could do wrong, I did wrong on the hole,” Johnson said about the 10th hole triple-bogey. “To fight back and birdie 18 two times in a row when I had to, I’m really happy with that.”

Courtesy of those in attendance and not trying to watch on television, the weekend also reportedly produced one of the best-attended LIV Golf events, with the Tulsa World reporting the three-day attendance surpassed 40,000.

“I think this is probably the best one we’ve had in America, to be quite honest,” Grace said about the Tulsa event’s crowds following the first round, according to Golfweek. “In Australia it was fantastic. Singapore was really good, as well. We came out there with a warm welcome, and you come to Tulsa, the guys are really loving it out here. They’re sport hungry, or event hungry, if I can put it that way.

“I’ve heard for the first time in America where — the U.S. where you see where the guys are going to go this week; are they going to support the PGA Tour or come out to LIV, and I heard a hell of a lot more people saying they’re coming out to the LIV and seeing what it’s…