The final women’s Major of the year is behind us, and it was a fantastic advertisement for the excellence of the women’s game. Miyu Yamashita’s composure in holding off a final-day charge from Charley Hull amongst others on a challenging links course was a testament to the quality of play.
On the ground, more than 47,000 spectators attended the five days of the Championship at Royal Porthcawl, making it the largest women’s sporting event ever in Wales, with families and children attending in large numbers. That success was mirrored on screens, as the Championship saw its highest-ever TV audience for the first two rounds on Sky Sports, alongside a massive 144% increase in YouTube views and a 93% increase in hours watched.
This outcome proves what’s possible when the women’s game gets the attention it deserves. Yet, it also brings into focus the frustration I feel when looking back at the rest of the Major season’s schedule.
A year ago, I wrote about the reality of women’s Majors consistently being overshadowed by men’s events. Fast forward to today and little has changed. The men’s Major schedule might be “broken,” as some suggest, but for women’s golf, it often feels even worse, deliberately set up for second-tier status.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
The men’s Majors always grab attention, with headlines taking over for weeks before, during, and after the event. This constant dominance makes it all the more frustrating, as women’s golf often struggles for significant media coverage.
The women’s Majors are supposed to be the moments that break through, generating their own big buzz. Yet, the US Women’s Open clashed directly with the PGA Tour’s Memorial tournament and the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship found itself in a head-on collision with the Travelers Championship, where 45 of the world’s top 50 male players were competing. When the women’s Majors are directly up against men’s signature tournaments, they’ve got no chance to capture the level of attention they deserve. It just seems incredibly unfair.
While I, like many others, adore the men’s Majors and appreciate the immense scale of the PGA Tour, it’s genuinely disheartening that these women’s Majors consistently draw the short straw. I understand that men’s golf will inevitably attract a larger audience, leading broadcasters to prioritise them, but please, please, can the PGA Tour and broadcasters at least consider the LPGA’s tournament schedule, as it…
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