Golf Channel Will Show More LPGA in 2010 Than '09

Seems like an obvious headline, right?  After all, Golf Channel and the LPGA Tour agreed to a landmark 10 year deal last year.  But, with the LPGA Tour being reduced from 28 official events in 2009 to 23 official events in 2010, one might have wondered how much of the LPGA would actually be on Golf Channel.

Consulting with the folks at Golf Channel and the LPGA Tour, I found out that Golf Channel aired 13 tournaments in '09.  Four were entirely live, three were a combo of tape delay and live coverage, and six were all on tape.

As we said yesterday in our post about the 2010 LPGA schedule on Golf Channel, 16 events will be aired - seven completely live.  At least four will be tape delayed.  Two will be a mix.  How three events will be broadcast is yet unknown.

In the end, that means a higher percentage of the Tour's 2010 events will be in one play.  There will be more tournaments on Golf Channel, with more of them being totally live.  Effectively, there will be three more tournaments broadcast on Golf Channel air in 2010 than '09, and all of them will be totally live.

As far as most LPGA Tour fans are concerned, that has to be an upgrade. 

Concerning the rest of the schedule, that has yet to be released by the LPGA Tour.  But, LPGA Tour fans will have to account for five tournaments (including one unofficial money) whose TV schedules have yet to be announced.  That's the same number of events that were not broadcast in the US at all last year.  This year, though, one domestic event does not have TV announced - the Jamie Farr event on a one-year contract.