On a major championship Sunday, fans of the U.S. Women’s Open needed a public service announcement just to find the broadcast from Riviera Country Club. While audiences searched, CBS and Golf Channel were busy carrying the $20 million Memorial Tournament, from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m., and from 2:30 to the end of play, respectively. This required them to look elsewhere.

Fried Egg Golf’s post on X alerted fans to where they could catch the event. “Public service announcement: If you’re looking for the U.S. Women’s Open, coverage is on Peacock until 5 P.M. ET and then will switch over to NBC.”

This was not a sudden change, as the LPGA had outlined the ‘How to Watch’ schedule for the U.S. Women’s Open in an article on its website last Monday.

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01/10

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To fans who caught the 2026 Chevron Championship, today may not have been a surprise, as the final day of that major was also not available on Golf Channel. One of the differences between the broadcast platforms for both tournaments was that fans could at least use Golf Channel to catch action from the Memorial Park Golf Course on the opening three days.

The U.S. Women’s Open’s final day aired on Peacock and NBC, but at least there were no concerns about delays like those at the year’s opening LPGA major. One problem, though, was the inability to watch the event for those who didn’t have a Peacock subscription.

At the time, Charley Hull’s four-under through seven holes put her level with World No. 1 Nelly Korda and Sei Young Kim at seven-under overall. With NBC coverage resuming at 5 p.m. ET, fans will see one of them secure a close victory, but they will miss the live action of the path that led to that final moment.

This is not a first for the U.S. Open

Sunday’s coverage gap is not without precedent. Golf fans may remember the 2023 event, where Marina Alex was extremely frustrated with the lack of coverage the U.S. Open received.

“How do we grow the game when we can’t be seen?” Alex had said after the event.

On that occasion, NBC Sports and Golf Channel released a statement a few months after the event.

Per Golf Digest, “While some of the complaints focused on the choice to show the U.S. Women’s Open on NBC’s streaming platform, Peacock (and users’ inability to find the service), and GolfChannel.com, most of the anger resides with perceived favoritism to Greg Norman’s QBE Shootout, a non-official team competition. The Shootout has a number of NBC Sports’ higher-profile members of its broadcast team, and received, in the opinion of some, a better time slot on Golf Channel.”

After the 2023 U.S. Open and the 2026 Chevron Championship, this is yet another instance of fans missing out on women’s golf. It is also another example of streaming platforms and their lack of availability being a roadblock for sports fans.

Fans slam broadcast decisions as major championship takes a back seat

Founders of golf communities couldn’t hold themselves back.

“I’m at airport, and I’d love to be watching the Women’s U.S Open…… But it’s not on NBC till 5pm. What????” wrote Monday Q Info’s Ryan French, who caddied for Christina Kim at ShopRite LPGA Classic.

Inside Sports Net’s Brian Kirschner said, “Uh US Women’s open should probably be on TV now and not in 45 minutes lol.”

Many fans like these two may not have a Peacock subscription or might not have immediate access to watch it on the streaming platform.

“Major sunday and no coverage 😂. Got bums on pga on cbs for no reason,” one fan wrote.

This is a significant issue, given that Mel Reid and Charley Hull both complained about the lack of fan engagement at LPGA Tour events. If the tour wants to attract more fans to come to the course and get them more involved, it needs to start with better coverage. Greater television exposure can motivate fans to attend these events in person as well.

Some other fans were less forgiving. “Bunch of 🤡,” one user commented, while another said, “And in Canada, we have to wait until 5 pm ET.”

Fan frustration reflects a broader pattern: women’s golf continues to receive secondary treatment. The impact of this is not limited to the U.S.; the LPGA roster boasts global stars that rival, if not exceed, those of the PGA Tour in international reach. For instance, Charley Hull (England), Ruoning Yin (China), Jeeno Thitikul (Thailand), Brooke Henderson (Canada), Minjee Lee (Australia), and Hyo Joo Kim (South Korea) are all elite athletes representing countries other than the U.S.A.

“The fact this needs to be announced is an own goal. Unfortunately, it’s what we’ve become accustomed to as fans of women’s golf,” wrote another user.

Another fan summed up the sad reality facing viewers, saying, “Yes. Gotta watch on peacock sadly.”

These suggest that similar broadcast situations have become an all-too-familiar experience for fans. Marina Alex asked in 2023 how the game grows when it can’t be seen. Three years on, fans are still asking the same question.