When is the PGA Championship?
- Date: May 20 to 23, 2021
- Channels: ESPN, CBS and ESPN+
How to Watch the PGA Championship
The PGA Championship is getting back into the swing of things in 2021 with the return of spectators at Kiawah Island in South Carolina.
ESPN, ESPN+ and CBS will present first tee to last putt coverage over the four-day competition.
If you’re up for most or all 229 hours of live play, there are a number of options to watch defending champion Collin Morikawa without being tied down to a cable TV bundle or contract.
No doubt, this year Brooks Koepka, Rory Mcllroy and Justin Thomas are just a few players being eyed by fans as part of the elite 2021 PGA Championship field.
For cord-cutters watching all the action, you will need ESPN and CBS (or CBS Sports) for the First, Second, Third and Final rounds.
Here’s a breakdown of where and how to watch everything.
Table of Contents
- When is the PGA Championship?
- How to Watch the PGA Championship
- ESPN+ coverage
- How to get ESPN and CBS for PGA Championship
- PGA Championship TV and Streaming Schedule
2021 PGA Championship Schedule
- First Round: Thursday, May 20 on ESPN, 1pm-7pm ET
- Second Round: Friday, May 21 on ESPN, 1pm-7pm ET
- Third Round: Saturday, May 22 on CBS and CBS Sports, 1pm-7pm ET
- Final Round: Sunday, May 23 on CBS and CBS Sports, 1pm-7pm ET
ESPN+ coverage
The four rounds of the tournament is only a fraction of the TV coverage this year.
Starting Thursday, ESPN+ will open the day at 7 am ET with the first tee shot and will continue to follow live play. Coverage shifts from ESPN+ to ESPN at 1 p.m. to the First Round.
Featured Groups and Holes on ESPN+
ESPN+ will be the exclusive spot for Featured Group and Featured Hole coverage. Featured Holes coverage has been expanded to all four days of the event. On Thursday and Friday, Holes 16-17-18 will be featured.
For the first time, ESPN+ is also streaming PGA Coaching Live, showing four hours each day from the player’s driving range. It promises to give golf fans an inside look at the way PGA Coaches operate. It will also help viewers connect with one of the roughly 28,000 PGA Professionals near them.
ESPN+ is a month-to-month subscription streaming service that costs $5.99 per month. So you can keep it just for the tournament if you want.
Once you sign up for ESPN+, head over to the ESPN app on your Smart TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Google Chromecast or Apple TV and sign in to your ESPN+ account.
How to get ESPN and CBS for PGA Championship
Sling TV’s Orange bundle remains the cheapest way to watch ESPN. The first month of a subscription now costs $10. There is no longer a free trial. After that, the cost increases to $35 per month.
But Sling TV does not carry CBS, which airs the Third Round of the tournament.
If you can use a TV antenna to watch CBS, then Sling TV will be the least expensive option. You could also sign up for a free trial of Paramount+, which costs $5.99 per month, to live stream your local CBS station.
fuboTV, Hulu + Live TV and YouTube TV are more elegant solutions for having CBS and ESPN under one streaming app. But all three services are more expensive. They each cost $64.99 per month after a free one-week trial.
Here are more details of each of these live TV services.
Sling TV: Streaming ESPN on the cheap
Sling TV is your cheapest option to watch ESPN, but you will need another way to watch CBS. The Sling Orange plan includes 34 channels including ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3 and entertainment networks like A&E and History.
Subscribers get 50 hours of Cloud DVR. You can stream on one device at a time with the Orange plan. Sling TV works on just about any streaming device: Roku, Firestick, Apple TV and your PC.
There are no hidden fees or contracts if you decide to keep the service.
You can even use your subscription to activate the ESPN app on any device.
A subscription costs $10 for the first month when you sign up for a subscription. The monthly rate increases to $35 per month after that. You can cancel any time online.
Sling TV will also give you a free streaming device if you prepay for two months of service.
fuboTV: Stream PGA Championship live on ESPN, CBS
fuboTV carries ESPN, CBS and the Golf Channel.
The “starter” package has 130+ channels, including local ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX in most areas of the U.S. HGTV, History, AMC, Big Ten Network and Comedy Central are part of the starter bundle.
Subscribers get 250 hours of Cloud DVR. You can watch on two screens at once. fuboTV’s “look back” feature carries sporting events that aired in the last 72 hours.
A subscription costs $64.99 per month. fuboTV has a library of on-demand movies, and TV shows. Amazon Fire TV, Roku, Apple TV and Android TV devices all have fuboTV apps so you can watch live sport on TV.
There are mobile devices for iPhone and Android, and you can watch on your web browser. There are no contracts and you can cancel at any time.
You can try fuboTV free for a week, or look over the channel lineup for your area.
Hulu with Live TV or Disney+ bundle for ESPN+
Hulu with Live TV has 65+ channels, including local CBS, ESPN, ESPN2 and the Golf Channel.
Hulu’s Live TV service carries local FOX, ABC, NBC and CBS stations. A subscription costs $64.99 per month and includes Hulu’s on-demand service.
You’ll get other premium entertainment networks like CNN, Fox News, National Geographic and TNT. Subscribers get 50 hours of Cloud DVR included.
So if you’re already paying for Hulu on-demand, getting two streaming services for the same price as Hulu’s competitors makes a lot of sense.
You can look over the channel lineup in your area, before deciding if it’s the right fit for your golf watching needs.
Hulu + Live TV has a free 7-day trial. Even if you already subscribe to Hulu on-demand, you can still try out Hulu’s Live TV plan free for a week.
(Pro tip: If you’re looking for a live TV service and want ESPN+ for extended PGA Championship coverage, bundling Hulu + Live TV with Disney+ and ESPN+ saves you $5.99 per month.)
Vidgo
Vidgo lets you live stream ESPN on a Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV and iPhone. Vidgo does not carry CBS.
If you’re someone who likes to weigh in online during sporting events, Vidgo’s mobile app is worth a try because you can participate in ‘watch parties’ for TV shows and sporting events.
The live TV service has 95+ channels, including Big Ten Network, ESPN Deportes, ESPN Goal Line, ESPNU, ESPN2 and ESPNews.
Subscribers get local FOX and ABC affiliates in some markets.
A Vidgo subscription costs $10 for the first month, then increases to its regular price of $55 per month. Subscribers are allowed to cancel at any time online.
You can look over the channel lineup before deciding whether to sign up.
YouTube TV
YouTube TV has local CBS and ESPN as part of its 85+ channel lineup.
A subscription costs $64.99 per month after a 7-day free trial.
ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN U, SEC ESPN and ESPN News is part of its channel lineup. You’ll also be able to watch Nat Geo Wild, BBC America, Golf Channel and FXM.
Unlimited Cloud DVR is included with a subscription. And you can create up to 6 profiles for a household per account.
The service works with Chromecast, Fire TV, NVIDIA Shield TV, Apple TV and Chromecast. Try out YouTube TV free for a week.
AT&T TV: ESPN and CBS
AT&T TV has ESPN and CBS as part of its “Entertainment package”, which includes more than 65 live TV channels.
Subscribers get a wide variety of sports channels including Big Ten Network, ESPN, ESPN2, and regional NBC Sports networks. A subscription costs $69.99 per month.
If you do sign up, you should know that you have to choose the “no contract” option during the account setup process. It’s not automatic.
PGA Championship TV and Streaming Schedule
| Tuesday, May 18 | ||
| PGA Coaching Live | 8-9 a.m. | ESPN+ |
| PGA Coaching Live | 11 a.m. – noon | ESPN+ |
| Tuesday at the PGA Championship | Noon – 3 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| PGA Coaching Live | 2-3 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| PGA Coaching Live | 5-6 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| Wednesday, May 19 | ||
| PGA Coaching Live | 8-9 a.m. | ESPN+ |
| PGA Coaching Live | 11 a.m. – noon | ESPN+ |
| Wednesday at the PGA Championship | Noon – 3 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| PGA Coaching Live | 2-3 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| PGA Coaching Live | 5-6 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| Thursday, May 20 | ||
| First Round | 7 a.m. – 1 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| Featured Group 1 (one morning, one afternoon) | 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| Featured Group 2 (one morning, one afternoon) | 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| Featured Group 3 (one morning, one afternoon) | 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| Featured Group 4 (one morning, one afternoon) | 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| PGA Coaching Live | 7-9 a.m. | ESPN+ |
| Featured Holes – 16, 17, 18 | 8:15 a.m. – 7 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| SportsCenter at the PGA Championship | 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. | ESPN |
| PGA Coaching Live | Noon – 2 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| ESPN Social Media PGA Championship Preview Show | 12:30-1 p.m. | ESPN |
| First Round | 1 p.m. – 7 p.m. | ESPN |
| First Round (encore) | 10 p.m. – 4 a.m. | ESPN2 |
| Friday, May 21 | ||
| Second Round | 7 a.m. – 1 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| Featured Group 1 (one morning, one afternoon) | 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| Featured Group 2 (one morning, one afternoon) | 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| Featured Group 3 (one morning, one afternoon) | 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| Featured Group 4 (one morning, one afternoon) | 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| PGA Coaching Live | 7-9 a.m. | ESPN+ |
| Featured Holes – 16, 17, 18 | 8:15 a.m. – 7 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| SportsCenter at the PGA Championship | 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. | ESPN |
| PGA Coaching Live | Noon – 2 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| Second Round | 1– 7 p.m. | ESPN |
| Saturday, May 22 | ||
| Second Round (encore) | Midnight – 5:55 a.m. | ESPN2 |
| Third Round | 8 a.m. – 10 a.m. | ESPN+ |
| Featured Group 1 (one morning, one afternoon) | 8 a.m. – 7 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| Featured Group 2 (one morning, one afternoon) | 8 a.m. – 7 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| Featured Group 3 (one in morning) | 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| Featured Group 4 (one in morning) | 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| Third Round | 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. | ESPN |
| Featured Holes – 15-16-17 | Noon – 7 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| Sunday. May 23 | ||
| Final Round | 8 a.m. – 10 a.m. | ESPN+ |
| Featured Group 1 (one morning, one afternoon) | 8 a.m. – 7 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| Featured Group 2 (one morning, one afternoon) | 8 a.m. – 7 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| Featured Group 3 (one in morning) | 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| Featured Group 4 (one in morning) | 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| Final Round | 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. | ESPN |
| Featured Holes – 15-16-17 | Noon – 7 p.m. | ESPN+ |
For more news on streaming, how-to guides and reviews, head over to the main page of The Cord Cutting Report or follow the CCR on Google News.
Founder and Editor of The Cord Cutting Report. Before launching the site in 2016, he worked for more than two decades as a staff writer or correspondent for a number of daily newspapers, including The Boston Globe. His enthusiasm for tech began with the Atari 2600. Follow @james_kimble
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