We've Seen This Movie Before: CareerBuilder Challenge Finale Tries To Compete With NFL Playoffs

With the Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC Championship game, even PGA Tour VP's who've jumped on the Jags bandwagon could not possibly have been watching the CareerBuilder Challenge final round. Not even with a young star and now World No. 2 in Jon Rahm atop the leaderboard.

And yet here we were again, with PGA Tour golf on the west coast, in front of light crowds, somehow trying to go up against America's beloved playoff football.

In a world when we know the time NFL playoff game dates and times for months, and we know that their audiences will be massive, golf still thinks it can put up a fight. We're that dumb Chihuahua barking at a head-tilting Rottweiler, only we're not nearly as loud, entertaining or effective.

No sports fan in their right mind watched the Careerbuilder Challenge live when Tom Brady and the Patriots were taking on the entertaining upstart Jaguars. That is not the fault of any player involved. This is a scheduling snafu repeated for the umpteenth year-in-a-row.

So to recap: the PGA Tour returned from Hawaii and had the boys tee up Thursday in La Quinta instead of waiting a day, starting on Friday and finishing on Monday in east coast prime time. Remember, the CareerBuilder is a Golf Channel hosted event, meaning there is programming flexibility.

Also recall that the CareerBuilder is played in a retirement community, with a pro-am format that would actually welcome taking up both weekend days for the pro-am players instead of another weekday.

Last point before I stop beating this too hard: the next PGA Tour stop is in San Diego, less than three hours by car and an easy turnaround for players who make the cut. Yes, they'd only have two days to regroup for the Farmers Insurance Open but bruised linebackers, these are not. They are pro golfers whose sponsors deserve to have their sponsorship positioned in the best way possible. That is currently not the case with the CareerBuilder Challenge.

Unless...the Goo Goo Dolls are playing the 18th hole...

Well since last night was so much fun, let’s do it again! @googoodollsofficial take the stage within the hour! #CBChallenge

A post shared by CareerBuilder Challenge (@careerbuilderchallenge) on Jan 20, 2018 at 4:26pm PST

Comments

[Jorge]

John Rahm is the world #2 and I couldn’t pick him out if he was playing in a twosome...and I consider myself a golf fan. The PGA Tour has jumped the shark.

[ReGripped]

I actually watched this because I have a golf problem, clearly, although I was switching back and forth. Too enticing to see if Rahm could close the door and he did although playing the 18th over and over and over again was a bit tiresome. Football's dominance will end at some point but I am all for golf switching it up with starting/ending it on different days to differentiate itself and in the world of DVR it isn't the worst thing to start on a Wednesday or end on a Monday.

Rahm is really interesting. I followed him in person during the Farmers Insurance Open last year and he didn't have a great round on that Saturday but he was clearly figuring things out. The next day (Sunday) he figured it out and won the thing. You could see this play out the rest of the year where his first rounds at new courses didn't go great but he obviously rose to 3rd now 2nd in the world. I predicted last year that his second bite of the course-apple this year would yield big results. The guy is the real deal and is only going to get better (even if no one watches the broadcast).

[Steven T.]

Geoff,

Monday finish makes a lot of sense to me!

[OWGR Fan]

The PGA Tour has held events in January for what 50 60+ years now? Being up against an NFL telecast again is all of a sudden something new? Please. Same with in the fall. The reality is that even if there were no NFL playoffs today (Sunday) the golf ratings would still be low. FWIW I do not watch the NFL at all. Even the Super Bowl. Golf on television is insufferable. I find no reason to watch it.

[D. maculata]

Does this mean UA has to change #Spieth2 to #Spieth3?

[Bud]

This is what a DVR is for...

[TJ]

Why all the hand wring about competing with the NFL playoffs? Golf will NEVER never beat the NFL. And you know what? It's ok. The PGA is more concerned about demographics and selling advertising spots based on WHO is watching. As a viewer, I have options and that's great. I'm always fascinated by how much people worry about what other people are watching. If the tour sponsors, advertisers,and networks are satisfied, that's enough.

[Press Agent]

competing against? since when? When did this idea that all other channels should go dark when there is a football game on start poking up? There are a lot of people in the world, some of them don't watch football.

[digsouth]

I don't watch the NFL, and very little college FB, but I only watched the playoff of the Hope.. Just couldn't get fired up with the 3 course deal, and was it me, or did both hole look like the same hole in the playoff? Lot of nervous putting .


Patriots cheat. Fitting in the era we live in. *dig*

[Hawkeye]

Never mind football, but something has to be done about these dreary sudden death playoffs - 5 holes last week and 4 holes yesterday. It's a painfully slow death that any day now will spill over into Monday... oh wait, it did at Sea Island last season.
Suggestion: Only one full hole, and if it's tied, go back to previously designated spots in the fairway from which a Tour pro has about a one in three chance of getting down in two. I won't watch another go-back-in-a-cart-and hit-a-boring-drive-to-the-same-spot-again playoff. Life's too short.

[Dick Mahoon]

The NFL is what DVR was designed for.....so many commercials.

DM

[Boo Boo Drolls]

Be careful you might go blind.