Woad tees off 8.09am but broadcast starts at noon
Japanese players dominate top of scorecard on day one
It might even have been a relief to the organisers of this Women’s Open that, as shadows lengthened, Lottie Woad did not blast her way towards the front of the queue. Woad may well be the name on everyone’s lips but, on day two, she will barely feature on anybody’s screens.
Perhaps it is a sign of this major’s rapid growth that everyone wants more. Nonetheless, fans will find it unsatisfactory that, with daily television coverage beginning at noon, Woad – plus Nelly Korda and Lydia Ko – will play the vast majority of her second round minus the eyeballs of anyone not in attendance at Royal Porthcawl. This is now a recurring theme after Leona Maguire took to social media to point out her hole in one at the recent Evian Championship was not caught on camera. Woad begins day two at 8.09am, with Ko for company and Korda two groups behind.
Sky Sports, which screens the Women’s Open in the UK, has a partnership with the R&A which it understandably will not compromise by criticising this tournament’s officials. Insiders at the broadcaster insist they would be keen on extended live hours from next year. For that to happen, the R&A would need to bestow significant funds on European Tour Productions, which provides a world feed for television companies to use. At Porthcawl, that coverage begins at 12 o’clock. The R&A did increase the prize fund for 2025 by $250,000 (£190,000) and player facilities are a notable upgrade on the vast majority of women’s golf events; but what of seeing it to be it? The men’s Open coverage at Royal Portrush two weeks ago began at 6.30am on Thursday and Friday.
