The rapidly evolving landscape of men’s professional golf has put even more of a premium on news coverage in the game. With that premium comes more pressure, but for Golf Channel’s Matt Hegarty, only one thing really matters.

“The vision is to just be as authentic as possible,” said Hegarty, Golf Channel’s coordinating producer for studio programming who has overseen “Golf Central” for the last four-plus years and been at the network itself for more than 25.  Hegarty said. “That’s been at the core of ‘Golf Central’ since it started.

The show airs nightly at 7 p.m. ET and covers all tours, from the LPGA to the latest developments in LIV Golf. Hegarty and the “Golf Central” crew have tackled the biggest stories in golf in recent years. In 2023, Hegarty estimates the network didn’t go to commercial for eight hours as it dissected the shocking framework agreement between the PGA Tour and Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia.

“It was hard to do in the moment, but you talk to anyone who covers big stories like that, days like those that are hard are the most rewarding,” he said. “When you finish days like those, it’s like ‘wow.’”

While “Golf Central” is the network’s nightly news offering, it goes even bigger for “Live From,” which is broadcast from the men’s major championships, Players Championship and other big tournaments across the sport. 

Hegarty says both shows point to the culture he and his team have built at the network’s studios in Stamford, Conn.

“There are so many people on this team that really love what they do, and they love golf,” he said.

— Josh Carpenter

MUST-WATCH MOMENT: On “Live From” after this year’s U.S. Open, Johnson Wagner tried to mimic Bryson DeChambeau’s key bunker shot, joined on-air by DeChambeau himself.