Golf on ESPN

Golf coverage on ESPN and ESPN2 has been a regular feature of the cable sports channels' programming since soon after ESPN's launch in 1979. Although ESPN no longer owns any share of the rights to the week-to-week events on the PGA Tour, LPGA Tour, or Champions Tour, the ESPN networks continue to cover eight major tournaments associated with those tours.

Coverage overview

Men's golf coverage

ESPN has broadcast men's professional golf in some form since 1980. Since 1995, they have annually broadcast the first two rounds and part of the third and fourth round of the United States Open Championship. Since 2008, they have also broadcast the first two rounds of The Masters Tournament.

ESPN has also had exclusive U.S. coverage of The Open Championship since 2010. The network had previously lost the early-round rights to TNT after the 2002 event, although ESPN's sister network ABC continued to carry weekend coverage through 2009.

The ESPN networks also previously aired a small number of the week-to-week PGA Tour events – primarily weekday coverage of semi-major tournaments such as The Players Championship and the World Golf Championships – until Golf Channel took over as the Tour's exclusive cable partner in 2007.

Women's golf coverage

Beginning in 1979, ESPN started covering LPGA Tour events. ESPN stopped broadcasting regular LPGA Tour events after 2009. However, ESPN has broadcast the Kraft Nabisco Championship since 2006, the U.S. Women's Open since 1995, and resumed broadcasting the Women's British Open starting in 2010.

Senior golf coverage

ESPN has broadcast the U.S. Senior Open since 1995, and resumed broadcasts of the Senior British Open Championship in 2010.

Announcers

ESPN's golf announcing team in 2010 includes:

• Peter Alliss (part-time)
  
• Scott Van Pelt
  
• Paul Azinger
  
• Colin Montgomerie (part-time)
  
• Billy Ray Brown (part-time)
  
• Terry Gannon
  
• Curtis Strange
  
• Sean McDonough
  
• Mike Tirico
  
• Tom Weiskopf (part-time)
  
• Tom Watson (part-time)
  
• Rocco Mediate (part-time)
  
• Judy Rankin
  
• Bill Kratzert
  
• Andy North
  
• Wayne Grady (part-time)
  
• Tom Rinaldi
  
• Wendi Nix
  
• Rick Reilly (part-time)