Golf fans outraged by final round coverage of Rocket Mortgage Classic on CBS

Some viewers had to wait a little longer to see Rickie Fowler's incredible comeback at the Rocket Mortgage Classic.

03 Jul 2023

When Rickie Fowler sunk his birdie putt on the first hole of the playoff Sunday to win the Rocket Mortgage Classic, it was a golf moment fans have long been waiting for.

Unfortunately, for some viewers, they had to wait an extra three-and-a-half hours to see it.

The 34-year-old is one of the most well-liked players in the sport - famously known for wearing bright orange on Sundays.

But it had been a while since anyone had seen the bright orange Fowler walking down a PGA Tour course on a Sunday in contention until recently.

Since his last victory in February 2019, the American found himself struggling. So much so, he fell out the top-100 in the world and began to miss major championships.

At the beginning of 2023, Fowler was ranked all the way down at No. 103 in the World Rankings.

Now, he's officially back.

A picture worth a thousand words @RickieFowler | @RocketClassic pic.twitter.com/Zk9lzJNDm0
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 2, 2023

The former Oklahoma State University golfer shot rounds of 67, 65, 64, and 68 to force his way into a playoff with Adam Hadwin and Collin Morikawa on Sunday in Detroit.

On the first extra hole, the par-4 18th, Fowler appeared to be in trouble with a way-right drive off the tee.

But he quickly recovered with a beautiful 180-yard second shot that left him with 12 feet for birdie - the shortest putt of the three.

The last to go after both Hadwin and Morikawa had missed their own birdie chances, Fowler drained his 12-footer to finally return to the winner's circle after four long years.

A champion once again
The winning moment for @RickieFowler @RocketClassic. pic.twitter.com/LEQ8f05gHN
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 2, 2023

However, if you were in the States watching the golf on CBS, you didn't see this all play out until much later in the day, well after it had actually transpired.

Due to weather conditions in Detroit, tournament organizers moved the final tee times up earlier in the day.

But per the Washington Post, CBS decided to still stick with their original broadcast schedule, and so while Fowler was creating one of the best golf stories of 2023, CBS was playing local infomercials.

Only fans who had the CBS Sports app were able to watch the coverage live.

Quite understandably, this left some viewers confused and upset for missing the winning moment.

That includes US Women's National Team player Alex Morgan, who's set to play in the FIFA Women's World Cup later this month.

In a tweet on Sunday evening, Morgan wrote:

"For my birthday I want 2 things. To watch this live, and for @RickieFowler to win."