A number of players will be mic-ed up for this week’s Charles Schwab Challenge at the Colonial Country Club in order to create some sort of atmosphere in the absence of spectators.
The PGA Tour will restart a revised season schedule on Thursday after close to three months without any action, with the first five events to be held with empty galleries.
That led to organisers searching for ways to still make the competitiveness as engaging and electrifying as possible.
READ: Golf is back … at long last
Three weeks ago Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Tom Brady and Peyton Manning wore microphones and earpieces to interact with fans and commentators throughout The Match: Champions for Charity.
CBS Sports chairman Sean McManus said on Monday that a few players have agreed to the idea to play with mics in order to make the experience more personal for the people back home.
‘We’ve been talking to the Tour about it for years,’ McManus said.
‘I think there’s probably a greater appreciation for wanting to contemporise golf coverage a little bit and I think the players are beginning to realise that they can play a real role in that and making the product a little more interesting for the viewer at home.’
Featured groupings for Charles Schwab
Six-time Major champion Nick Faldo, who also works for CBS as a lead analyst, says the need for more interaction under the current climate is quite important.
‘What a great opportunity. We have plenty of fun talkers, fun tweeters, haven’t we out there? Maybe they’d like to get their face and their sponsor on TV. I can’t see any harm. They have to switch it a little bit; the players are entertainers right now and they have to do a little entertaining,’ Faldo said.
