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Masters slackers: Website survey shows majority of golf fans sneak peeks of The Masters at work

Garry Smits, Florida Times-Union
·2 min read
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Tiger Woods has won five Masters titles. He returns to competition next week at Augusta National.
Tiger Woods has won five Masters titles. He returns to competition next week at Augusta National.

Work productivity in America — especially if there are TVs, computers or smartphones readily available for employees — might have taken a beating during the NCAA basketball tournament.

And according to a gambling website’s survey of 2,000 golf fans, next week’s Masters Tournament may result in even more slacking to watch the first major championship of the season.

More pre-Masters coverage

LIV players in the Masters: The list is set with 18 eligible to play at Augusta National

Dinner conversation:Tiger Woods admits to some apprehension in being around LIV Golf League members at Masters

Return to sender: The case of the missing Masters invitation and the two Scott Stallings

Pickswise.com reported that 56 percent of the fans they surveyed have watched The Masters and will continue to do so while at work. And they’re taking some risk: 82 percent acknowledge that sneaking peaks at their smartphones or laptops to watch streaming coverage of the tournament is a violation of company policy.

But what's a boss' wrath when it comes to watching Tiger Woods make a run on the back nine?

There also might be added motivation to watch next week's Masters: the sight of PGA Tour players and LIV Golf members playing in the same groups.

Must-see TV? If Patrick Reed is in the same group with Rory McIlroy, you bet your azaleas.

Other tidbits about unauthorized viewing of pine trees, azaleas and championship golf:

  • Of the respondents who said they would not try to watch the Masters at work, only 4 percent said it was because they were not interested in golf.

  • When asked if they had ever called in sick so they could stay home and watch the Masters, 79 percent said no, 9 percent yes and 12 percent said, not me, "but a friend has."

  • More than 60 percent of the respondents said they watched tournament coverage on their smartphones, 17 percent from a work computer and 13 percent from a personal computer.

  • And how special is The Masters to many golf fans? Nearly three-quarters of those responding (73 percent) said they didn’t try to sneak peeks at the other major golf tournaments while at work.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Masters slackers: Majority of golf fans watch golf's first major at work