The BBC’s highlights coverage of the AIG Women’s Open is facing fresh scrutiny, with a host of big names expressing their disappointment at the late-night slot it's been given on the free-to-air platform.
After an enthralling first round, anyone without a Sky subscription in the UK will have had to wait until 11.05pm to catch the hour-long recap show, while highlights don't begin until 11.45pm for those who miss the final-round action from Muirfield on Sunday.
Little wonder then that when speaking to Telegraph Sport, England’s Georgia Hall and Tommy Fleetwood couldn’t hide their bewilderment and frustration at the BBC’s apparent disregard for women’s golf.
Hall, the 2018 champion, said: “It is a shame and we’ve had this before. I remember at Troon [in 2020] and hoped they would fix after that reaction. We want it to be on earlier so more people can and will watch. You can’t expect people to be staying up past midnight, especially the kids and that is who we are trying to inspire aren't we?
“After what the Lionesses did on Sunday women’s sport is on the up. All we can do is try to play as well as we can and hope that people tune in, if they haven't got Sky. But no, it doesn't help that it’s on even later than before.”
Fleetwood echoed Hall’s sentiments, adding: “I was surprised and a bit disappointed when I looked this morning and saw the Women's Open highlights weren't on until after 11pm.
“Sky is great but not everyone has a subscription and this should be great exposure for the women golfers playing on one of the best links. It doesn't seem fair, really. What's the point of the BBC owning the highlights rights and then burying the coverage. Don't get it. You’d think they would read the room better after the women have just won the Euros.”
The BBC now shows no live golf and faced similar criticism at The 150th Open last month. Despite the historic occasion, highlights from St Andrews were aired as late as 10pm on the Saturday, forcing R&A chief Martin Slumbers to defend the British broadcaster’s scheduling.
He said: “We do have highlights on the BBC, and the BBC play a fantastic role in being able to show that. They have a brilliant radio station, which if you can't watch TV, is about the best way you can cover golf. And I think it is being able to hit and cover our sport in so many different ways.
“The world is very different now to what it was 20 years ago. People don't sit down and watch golf for six hours. They just don't do it. They've got all the social media.
“I don't think that just pure free to air is as important as it was 25 years ago, and actually I'm very happy with the balance we have. I think our Open is being covered brilliantly. We get an enormous amount more coverage, and I think we're in a really good place.”
Help is on hand for anyone looking for an AIG Women's Open live stream this week, as Sky are showing the action live on their YouTube channel.
