The last signature event of the year on the PGA Tour is coming to its last leg. The Travelers Championship has only 18 holes to play to crown the 2024 champion. With many in contention at TPC River Highland, only Tom Kim was fortunate to take the 54-hole solo lead at the clubhouse.
Focusing on his brilliant streak of shooting three rounds in the 60s, the PGA Tour introduced a new technology for its events. Josh Carpenter of Sports Business Journal posted a video of Kim tackling the par-5 6th hole. CBS broadcast it with a new moving drone tracer technology that intricately showed the distance and the apex of any shot.
The commentators described it as something never done before on television and ground-breaking technology for golf rounds and those who love stats. However, as CBS self-proclaimed itself as the first to use the tracer technology in a golf event, golf enthusiasts had a huge revelation to break that belief.
Tearing down the claim that it was never done before, the golf world researched the internet and brought out a tweet showing that CBS was not the first to use the technology on the PGA Tour. Instead, it was LIV Golf, which showcased the tracer technology way before them and berated the Tour for copying the breakaway league.
Three months ago, LIV Golf posted a tweet showing Bryson DeChambeau’s long drive shot at LIV Golf Las Vegas. They used a similar drone shot tracer to catch and share it with the golf world. Now, CBS’s claim to be doing this for the first time didn’t sit well with one fan. As they said, “Lol copied LIV.”
After LIV Golf’s debut, the PGA Tour introduced the concept of signature events, in which many similar rules, such as elevated prize purses, limited fields, etc. The golf world shed light on the similarities back then. Another thing now got added to that list, as this fan claimed, “Another idea taken from LIV.”
Another user agreed about Tour copying LIV. However, they were not as candid as the other fans. Instead, it was more of a surprise and seen as a step taken by the PGA Tour in the right direction. This user said, “Tour broadcast copying LIV homework! At least they are getting the right answers! Good for them bringing new stuff to the broadcast.”
When LIV Golf started, the PGA Tour players were not the only people that the breakaway circuit signed a deal with. Even the official broadcasters from popular channels like Golf Channel joined the infamous Saudi-backed league. One such veteran commentator was David Feherty, who used to comment only on the PGA Tour events since 2013. However, he shifted to LIV. This fan acknowledging CBS copying LIV Golf said, “Nice copy from the @livgolf_league broadcast. All the ex Tour broadcast people who are now on LIV have budgets and creative freedom to do things differently. Different must be good when the Tour starts copying them.”
As all things go, there will always be contrasting opinions in the golf world. So while most of them believed that CBS copied LIV Golf, one of the few did not support that claim. They denied it and commented, “Never seen this on LIV.”
The PGA Tour and LIV Golf might always be put against each other as both compete in various departments. But this time, do you think, CBS or the PGA Tour broadcast was a copy from LIV Golf? Share your thoughts in the comments.
Huda Khambe is a Golf Writer for EssentiallySports. Growing up watching Tiger Woods and Annika Sorenstam bag one major after the other, Huda Khambe set herself on a path to becoming a sports writer early on. With a year of prior experience in writing, Huda now brings the greens to life with her unique insights on her favorite storylines, such as Jack Nicklaus’s record rivalry with Tiger Woods and its impact on both stars.