Wasted: Phoenix Open Set For Stellar Finish And You Can Bet CBS Will Be Late To The Party

It's one of those traditions we longtime West Coasters have never grown accustomed to: a college basketball game running into CBS's scheduled golf coverage, condensing the broadcast window when the PGA Tour is getting it's best ratings, playing its most compelling events and often on the best courses.

The problem has been exacerbated since Golf Channel began providing lead-in coverage, leaving us with a scheduled half-hour break that has been shortened to 15 minutes in 2018 (undoubtedly after no one was buying that a half hour was needed to switch the graphics over).

Saturday's 2018 Waste Management Open telecast started at 12:46 due to the Kentucky-Missouri NO OVERTIME game running 45 minutes long, meaning an hour of golf was lost unless a viewer wanted to stream the telecast online.

The absurdity continues Sunday as two Big Ten powerhouse programs having below-average seasons are likely to spill into WMPO coverage. Remember, the madness continues next week when leaders at Pebble Beach are playing the most beautiful stretch of holes in golf as Michigan and Wisconsin inevitably run long.

The practice has grown old with viewers, who bombard social media with complaints that did successfully shorten the re-entry into the earth's television window atmosphere. Providing Golf Channel coverage up to the allotted time only picks up ten additional minutes. The lost time to college games running long should be treated

The obvious remedy?

Scheduling the games to start a half-hour earlier might mean--gasp--that a blowout ends a few minutes early and CBS can't deliver that strong "lead-in". To a sponsor like Waste Management, are those lingering fans as important than a happy TV audience seeing their ads?

Staying on Golf Channel until the basketball is complete would be trickier, but doable in just the same way Golf Channel picks up CBS broadcasts that have run past network coverage windows.

Either way, Sunday at the WMPO should be a dandy featuring 12 players within 3 strokes of Rickie Fowler's lead. Storylines include Phil Mickelson's shot at his first win since 2013, Fowler finally breaking through at TPC Scottsdale, Bryson DeChambeau picking up his second win, and Jon Rahm lurking a shot back.

Brentley Romine sets it all up at Golfweek.

“It’s anyone’s tournament tomorrow,” said Rickie Fowler, the 54-hole leader by a shot at 14 under. “Yeah, I have a one-shot lead, but this tournament is not going to be given to anyone.”

There are plenty of players ready to earn it, including Tour winners Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau, Xander Schauffele, Daniel Berger and Phil Mickelson, a three-time winner in Phoenix. The task of winning this week? The difficulty is tougher than trying to score a front-row seats in the grandstands on the 16th hole.

Sunday's tee and telecast times, college basketball permitting.