The Ryder Cup is FINALLY here. Golf fans have been waiting years for the competition’s arrival at Bethpage Black. The stage is set, the atmosphere is electric and things are already getting chippy. Win or lose, it’s going to be an unforgettable weekend in golf … but first, a word from our sponsors!
That’s the greeting golf fans got Friday morning when they rose bright and early for high-stakes team golf and got an avalanche of Bimzelx commercials instead. Unfortunately, regular golf viewers couldn’t have been less surprised. The bigger the event, the heavier the commercial load. It’s a tale as old as time, and fans (and even a few fellow pros) didn’t enjoy the deja vu, taking to X to rage against the marketing machine.
I love commercials with a side of Ryder Cup
— Grant Horvat (@GrantHorvatGolf) September 26, 2025
There were literally two golf balls on the entire course and we saw neither tee shot. Embarrassing! #RyderCup
— Tee Times (@TeeTimesPub) September 26, 2025
There's no reason why we can't see every single shot at the Ryder Cup. What are we doing here
— Bobby Reagan (@BarstoolReags) September 26, 2025
— Fried Egg Golf (@fried_egg_golf) September 26, 2025
Golf coverage is absolutely pathetic.
The Ryder Cup is the biggest event of the year.
There are only FOUR golf balls on the course right now and they somehow aren’t showing all the shots 😭
— NBA Trey 🦧📦 (@NBA__trey) September 26, 2025
How do they miss this many golf shots with 8 golf balls in play 😂
— Michael S. Kim (@Mike_kim714) September 26, 2025
This @USANetwork coverage driving me insane already. Think we are on the 5th commercial break. May have to flip on the @SkySports version. Any better?
— Graeme McDowell (@Graeme_McDowell) September 26, 2025
We could be seeing more commercials than golf today
— Byeong Hun An (@ByeongHunAn) September 26, 2025
Pretty astounding that, in 2025, there isn't an option for fans at home to watch a live stream of every individual match at the Ryder Cup. Even a paid option. The Masters does this with all 18 holes. There are only 4 groups on the course at Bethpage Black.
— Dan Rapaport (@Daniel_Rapaport) September 26, 2025
How it’s going so far… 🤦🏼♂️ #RyderCup pic.twitter.com/OEPX4t0i4O
— NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) September 26, 2025
RELATED: This Rory McIlroy Ryder Cup heckle was so good that even Rory laughed
The tenor of the complaints was similar. The Ryder Cup is not a full-field PGA Tour event. There aren’t dozens of players on the course at once. At most on Friday morning, there were 16 players on the course at a single time playing ALTERNATE SHOT. To not broadcast every shot, especially before all matches were on the course, was an unforgiveable sin in the eyes of most golf fans, who turned on NBC in almost record time.
We’ll see if things get better as the weekend progresses, but despite the totally unforced error from NBC, it could have been worse. We could have been Canadian …
Oh boy. Someone has messed up Ryder Cup coverage in Canada. If you’re on Bell, no problem — you can watch on Golf Channel. But Rogers and Telus are showing a Jack Nicklaus documentary. Understandably, folks are not happy.
— Bob Weeks (@BobWeeksTSN) September 26, 2025
MORE GOLF DIGEST @ THE RYDER CUP COVERAGE
- Ryder Cup 101: Everything you need to know about this year’s match
- Power Rankings: Breaking down all 24 players competing at Bethpage Black
- How to watch the Ryder Cup: TV listings, Viewer’s Guide, Tee Times & more
- 10 questions a time traveler would ask attending the 2025 Ryder Cup
- Every hole at Bethpage Black
- 15 moments that made the Ryder Cup golf’s most compelling duel
- GamePlan: 3 sneaky match-play tactics pros use at the Ryder Cup
- What’s the deal with players being paid to play the Ryder Cup? A Q&A
- 7 mistakes from 2023 the Americans need to avoid repeating
- Will Bethpage be a breaking point for fan behavior?
- Which U.S. Ryder Cup uniforms have aged the best (and worst)
- The Ryder Cup ticket controversy, re-explained
This article was originally published on golfdigest.com
