No, Sunday is not a sports equinox — when all four of North America’s major professional sports play on the same day — but for golf and football fans, it might be just as good.
The PGA Tour’s new FedEx Cup Fall season began this week with the Fortinet Championship. However, the first PGA Tour event in three weeks is being staged in California, and unlike the Tour’s west coast swing which will start again in January, tee times aren’t moved up so the round ends by 6 p.m. in the East.
Instead, the final round of the Fortinet will be shown on Golf Channel from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., live in primetime.
For diehard golf fans, that might be a bummer, having to wait all day, and have dinner during the viewing window. However, it’s September and that means two things:
- Many of the game’s biggest stars are hours ahead in Europe.
- Football!
With BMW PGA Championship taking place in the morning on the East Coast, and then being followed by the NFL’s Week 2 kickoffs, if you choose to stay inside and watch TV all day, no matter how nice it is outside, we won’t blame you.
Consider this a viewing guide for Sunday’s matinee of sporting events.
BMW PGA Championship
Location: Wentworth Club – England
Broadcast: 7 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. ET – Golf Channel (5 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Peacock)
Some of the game’s best players have shown out for the DP World Tour’s Flagship event. For context, this event is the European equivalent of the Players Championship.
All 12 of the European Ryder Cup team members are in England this week. All 12 made the cut and several are right in the thick of the tournament.
Ludvig Aberg shocks Matt Fitzpatrick to claim first DP World Tour title with late birdie barrage
Through three rounds, Team Europe’s youngest player, and the hottest not named “Viktor,” Ludvig Aberg leads the way by two strokes over teammate Tommy Fleetwood and Scotland’s Connor Syme.
There were rumblings of Aberg’s potential inclusion on the European Team going back to before he even turned pro in June, but he made those rumblings a reality when he won in his final appearance before Luke Donald’s captain’s picks at the Omega European Masters.
Now, Aberg is looking to prove it wasn’t a one-off win before he becomes the first player ever to play in a Ryder Cup with no major starts.
While Fleetwood is in the tie for second, World No. 3 Jon Rahm is also in the mix, sitting four back at 12 under.
Coverage stateside begins on Golf Channel at 7 a.m. ET, but that will be with a slight tape delay. Live coverage will be available on Peacock starting at 5 a.m.
NFL Week 2
Location: United States
Broadcast: 1 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. ET – CBS, FOX and NBC
Bills QB Josh Allen is skipping work to play Pebble Beach in the most relatable way possible
The nice thing about Golf Channel’s coverage of the DP World Tour this time of year, it ends at 12:30, meaning you either have 30 minutes to catch a little of Golf Channel’s pregame show for the evening’s golf, switch to your preferred sports network for pregame NFL coverage or head to your favorite establishment to watch all the games with your friends.
We know you’re not here for football coverage, hence the name of this website, so we won’t be giving you a breakdown of Sunday’s 12 non-primetime matchups. But we will tell you, if you want to catch all of the televised golf, you’ve got enough time to watch all of the 1 p.m. games, and plenty of time to see the first halves of the 4 p.m. games.
And when you tune into the golf, you can feel confident Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen, a noted golf nerd whose team hosts the Las Vegas Raiders at 1 p.m, *might* be doing the same thing.
And if football isn’t your cup of tea, the 12:30 p.m. ET finish of the DP World Tour gives you plenty of time for a round of your own. Go enjoy the beautiful fall weather!
Fortinet Championship
Location: Silverado Resort – California, U.S.
Broadcast: 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. ET – Golf Channel/Peacock
The first event of the PGA Tour’s new FedEx Fall has a sneaky terrific leaderboard.
Sahith Theegala, one of the most consistent players on the Tour over his first two seasons, heads into the final round holding the third 54-hole lead of his young career as he seeks his debut victory.
But perhaps more eyes will glance to Justin Thomas, who sits in a three-way tie for second, two shots back. Thomas is coming off the worst PGA Tour season of his career where he failed to qualify for the FedEx Cup Playoffs and missed the cut in three of four majors.
‘No-brainer’: Rory McIlroy defends Justin Thomas Ryder Cup pick
However, captain Zach Johnson picked him for the Ryder Cup anyway and this week was seen by many as a way for him to validate Johnson’s faith.
So far, so good, especially after Thomas made five birdies and an eagle Saturday for a bogey-free 65 to jump up the leaderboard.
Nine-time PGA Tour winner Matt Kuchar is also in the mix in a tied for fifth at 14 under, three shots back.
And once the champion is crowned in Napa, assuming there is no playoff, you’ll be able to switch to NBC to catch the majority of Sunday Night Football with the Miami Dolphins visiting the New England Patriots.
