
The 2026 Masters has drawn plenty of attention. The lead-up included Tiger Woods missing the tournament after another DUI arrest, which made him fly overseas to get treatment for his issues with painkillers.
Even so, people tuned in, and those who planned on doing so raised their voices against the coverage on Thursday and Friday. After finding out about all the streaming services and TV channels people needed to watch the event, the criticism began.
On Friday, ESPN gave fans another big reason to express their unhappiness with the coverage.
Kevin O’Neill shared a clip where ESPN missed Rory McIlroy’s chip-in on hole 17 to take a commanding lead.
OH RORY THAT IS MAGNIFICENT pic.twitter.com/oGiyYULXTf
— Barstool Gambling (@stoolgambling) April 10, 2026
Everybody went crazy when McIlroy hit it, but for the Disney-owned network, it didn’t seem like the most important part of the afternoon. Instead, they showed Viktor Hovland walking. They then showed the replay as “live” without the “a moment ago at 17” note.
Here’s the moment ESPN misses Rory’s stunning chip-in on 17 in favor of Victor Hovland walking, killing any drama.
— Kevin O'Neill (@ExtraHalfPoint) April 10, 2026
As the crowd roars a flustered Scott Van Pelt coughs and stammers.
They then fake the replay as “live” without the customary “a moment ago at 17” qualifier. pic.twitter.com/vKycJKCDSB
McIlroy pretty much locked up his back-to-back Masters win in great fashion. He enters Saturday with a lead nobody has had after 36 holes. The tournament is for him to lose, but at this level, that doesn’t seem likely.
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