Sir Nick Faldo (right) joined Sky's team of experts for the first time along with Butch Harmon
It was a confusing and chaotic Master, unfortunately , which were portrayed too accurately in the Sky Sports coverage, making it extremely unsatisfactory to watch.
Saturday was at its most egregious, with Sky Sports Golf programming starting in the afternoon, but due to the eccentric conditions of Augusta's big shots, spectators were not allowed to see actual live golf for the first few hours. After the actual Sky coverage started at 8pm, we got 16 minutes of sport before it started raining throughout the day.
Even more infuriating, because the players were away for hours on the field, and you are only allowed to watch «select groups», whose members may or may not be interesting to you, and not necessarily participate in the sharp end of the leaderboard.
The alternative is to view the entire game on a particular hole, but both of these options are available through a sky red button that not all players have access to, and all this seems unnecessary, pointlessly complicated.
It should be said that in It's not Sky's fault for this situation, but the powers that be in Augusta, who are continuing their strategy of not allowing the event to be fully televised.
One could see the logic of supply suppression to keep prices high by, say, not showing every Premier League match, but considering this tournament only happens once a year, it certainly has value already deficit?
Also, the argument about football at 3:00 pm that people will stop walking doesn't stand up to scrutiny: it doesn't look like there's an army of fans around the world who would otherwise be flying to Georgia. The only conclusion is that this is control bullshit in itself.
As a result, while the real sport is going on, the Sky Golf channel is reduced to a pipe in the NBC expert package.
Un-British programming, talking heads around the fireplace, all sweet piano music and slow motion flowers, and a group of blazer-clad American men of a certain age named Cormorant Walgreen Jr. and Bunko Halifax. chuckling amiably at «great golf shot».
One expert, Brandel Chumbley (real name), commented on the tournament: «Well, Mike, it looks like Aaron Sorkin wrote the script for this tournament.» If you mean a lot of middle-aged men who pompously yap in the absence of any action, then sure.
Sky's coverage, once it's allowed to go live, remains good: a satisfying mix of graphic gizmos that add value to the images, and a strong commentary list. Andrew Coltart and Ewan Murray have a sporting background, a deep love for the game, and a lyrical gift: worthy successors to Peter Ellis without self-referential indulgence.
Dame Laura Davis and Paul McGinley are witty and entertaining. Personally, I still like Butch Harmon, although I see that some people think that it is time for him to hang up the microphone. Sir Nick Faldo as an anchor…well, he was a great player.
Nick Dougherty, anchor, was on the defensive when Saturday's live broadcast began: «We follow the same broadcast rules as every other broadcaster in the world is doing so, so we can provide you with a full live feed from the start of the hour. But we'll also show you more golf than any other broadcaster.»
At least to this Sky subscriber, «more golf than any other broadcaster» seems like a boast that elicits the same reaction as complaining at a restaurant about bad food and servings. tiny, and the manager told you, «Well, you ate more here today than at any other restaurant.»
It's hard to blame Sky — and the annoyance is compounded by the fact that the BBC no longer has food. highlights in general – but what should have been one of the best sports TV weekends on the calendar was a wet squib. August should be forced to make a new deal.
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