Fan favorite Rickie Fowler will be the lone PGA Tour player miked up when golf returns Thursday at the Charles Schwab Challenge in Fort Worth, Texas.
"Other players have agreed to wear mics. But there's only certain groups that are within the TV window," Molly Solomon, an executive at Golf Channel, which will exclusively broadcast the first two rounds, told the Sports Business Journal. "For now, it's going to be Rickie."
Microphones are typical in exhibitions; Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson had them in their recent matches. But players generally have resisted wearing them over the years.
However, with no fans at events as the PGA Tour resumes play for the first time since early March due to the coronavirus pandemic, broadcasts are looking for different ways to better their coverage for viewers at home.
"If he's standing over his second shot in the fairway, I think that's a pretty interesting conversation," Solomon told SBJ. "Our microphones around the greens catch some conversations, but not all. I really think that's going to enhance."
According to the Sports Business Journal, Fowler used a mic Wednesday and then gave the green light to Golf Channel producers to wear one in Thursday's opening round. He tees off at 12:55 p.m. local time, alongside fellow stars Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth.
